Shloka 28

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

आपततन्तं गजानीकं दृष्टवा पार्थो वृकोदर:

Transliteration

āpatatantaṃ gajānīkaṃ dṛṣṭvā pārtho vṛkodaraḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Melihat pasukan gajah mara menerjang ke hadapan, Pārtha (Arjuna) dan Vṛkodara (Bhīma) menyedari serangan yang kian mendekat—gambaran momentum perang, ketika keberanian dan pertimbangan jernih mesti berhadapan dengan kekuatan kasar.

Word by Word

• आपततन्तम्: rushing/charging (towards)
• आपततन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपतत् (आपत् + शतृ)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गजानीकम्: elephant-corps, elephant-division
• गजानीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज + अनीक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• पार्थः: Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृकोदरः: Vrikodara (Bhima; 'wolf-bellied')
• वृकोदरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृकोदर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• gajānīka (elephant corps)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical demand of kṣatriya-dharma in war: when overwhelming force advances, the righteous response is not panic but clear perception and resolute action guided by duty and strategy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna and Bhīma see an elephant division charging toward them, signaling an intensification of the battle and setting up their response to a formidable battlefield threat.