Shloka 18
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
(चेदिकाशिपदातैश्न रथै: पाउ्चालसूंजयै: । सहिता: पाण्डवा: सर्वे धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमा: ।।
sañjaya uvāca | cedikāśi-padātaiś ca rathaiḥ pāñcāla-sūñjayaiḥ | sahitāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ sarve dhṛṣṭadyumna-purogamāḥ || tāvakān samare jaghnur dharmaputreṇa coditāḥ | rathibhir varavāraṇair aśvaiḥ pādātaiś ca samīritam | ghoram āyodhanaṃ cakre mahābhrasadṛśaṃ rajaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di sini pula, bersatu dengan infantri Cedi dan Kāśī serta para pahlawan kereta perang Pāñcāla dan Sūñjaya, semua wira Pāṇḍava—dipimpin Dhṛṣṭadyumna—atas dorongan Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) mula membantai bala tuanku di medan laga. Debu yang menggerunkan, digoncang oleh gerak para pemandu kereta, gajah-gajah unggul, kuda dan infantri, merebak memenuhi langit bagaikan gumpalan awan ribut, menjadikan pertempuran kian dahsyat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic leadership in wartime: Yudhiṣṭhira’s command (as Dharmaputra) frames action as duty-bound and organized rather than merely impulsive, while the vivid dust-cloud imagery underscores the grave, dehumanizing scale and consequences of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas, led by Dhṛṣṭadyumna and supported by allied forces from Cedi, Kāśī, Pāñcāla, and Sūñjaya, are attacking and killing the Kaurava troops; the movement of chariots, elephants, horses, and infantry raises a massive dust cloud that makes the battlefield scene more terrifying.