Shloka 316
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
भगदत्तं सपाज्चाल्य: सर्वतः समवारयत् । तब राजा युधिष्ठिरने भीमसेनको मारा गया जानकर पांचालदेशीय सैनिकोंको साथ ले भगदत्तको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया
bhagadattaṃ sa-pāñcālyaḥ sarvataḥ samavārayat | tadā rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ bhīmasenaṃ hataṃ jñātvā pāñcāladeśīya-sainikān saha nītvā bhagadattaṃ caturdiśaṃ paryavārayat |
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan pasukan Pāñcāla, mereka mengepung Bhagadatta dari segala arah. Lalu Raja Yudhiṣṭhira, menyangka Bhīmasena telah terbunuh, menghimpunkan tentera Pāñcāla dan mengurung Bhagadatta di keempat-empat penjuru.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the midst of confusion and grief, a leader must still act according to duty (kṣatriya-dharma): protect the army, respond decisively to threats, and prevent panic. The verse highlights how perception on the battlefield—true or mistaken—can compel immediate strategic action.
Sañjaya reports that Bhagadatta is hemmed in from all sides. Yudhiṣṭhira, thinking Bhīma has been killed, brings Pāñcāla troops and surrounds Bhagadatta on all four sides, intensifying the engagement against this powerful opponent.