Shloka 8
भीष्मस्य निधनार्थाय पार्थस्य विजयाय च । युयुधाते रणे वीरौ सौभद्रकुरुपुड्वी,भीष्मके वध और अर्जुनकी विजयके लिये उस युद्धके मैदानमें सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्यु और कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधन--ये दोनों वीर युद्ध कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca |
bhīṣmasya nidhanārthāya pārthasya vijayāya ca |
yuyudhāte raṇe vīrau saubhadra-kuru-puṅgavau ||
Sañjaya berkata: Demi kejatuhan Bhīṣma dan demi kemenangan Pārtha (Arjuna), di medan perang itu dua wira bertempur—Saubhadra (Abhimanyu, putera Subhadrā) dan yang terunggul antara kaum Kuru.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how individual duels in war are often portrayed as serving larger ends—strategic and moral—such as removing a seemingly unconquerable force (Bhīṣma) and advancing the rightful cause (Arjuna’s victory). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s tendency to interpret battlefield events through the lenses of dharma, destiny, and collective consequence rather than mere personal valor.
Sañjaya reports that two champions are engaged in combat on the battlefield: Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) and a foremost Kuru warrior. Their fighting is explicitly linked to two outcomes sought by the Pāṇḍava side—Bhīṣma’s eventual fall and Arjuna’s victory—indicating the tactical importance of this clash within the wider war.