Shloka 21
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
उदतिष्ठत् ततः पार्थों भीमकर्मा वृकोदर: । गाण्डीवधन्वा ये चान्ये राजानस्तत्र केचन
udatiṣṭhat tataḥ pārtho bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ | gāṇḍīvadhanvā ye cānye rājānas tatra kecana ||
त्यानंतर पार्थ—भयंकर कर्म करणारा वृकोदर भीम—उठून उभा राहिला; आणि तेथे उपस्थित इतर राजेही, गांडीवधारी अर्जुनासह, सर्वजण उभे राहिले।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a tense pre-war setting, conduct is regulated by dharma: rising together in an assembly signals respect, recognition of status, and disciplined readiness—ethical order maintained amid political crisis.
Vaiśampāyana describes a formal reaction in the gathering: Bhīma (Vṛkodara) rises first, and other kings present—along with the famed Gāṇḍīva-bearing archer—also stand, indicating that someone significant has appeared or that a decisive moment has been reached.