Shloka 6
भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene
अश्वत्थामा, सोमदत्त तथा अवन्तीके दोनों राजकुमार महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द-- ये विशाल सेनाके साथ व्यूहके वाम पक्षका संरक्षण कर रहे थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvatthāmā somadatta tathāvantīke ubhau rājakumārāv mahārathī vindānuvindau—ete viśālena senayā vyūhasya vāma-pakṣa-saṃrakṣaṇaṃ kurvanti ||
duryodhano mahārāja trigarteḥ sarvato vṛtaḥ |
vyūha-madhye sthito rājan pāṇḍavān prati bhārata ||
Disse Sañjaya: Aśvatthāmā, Somadatta e os dois príncipes de Avanti —Vinda e Anuvinda, todos grandes guerreiros de carro—, com uma força imensa, guardavam a ala esquerda do arranjo. E o rei Duryodhana, ó grande rei, descendente de Bharata, cercado por todos os lados pelas tropas de Trigarta, permaneceu no centro da formação, de frente para os Pāṇḍava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores disciplined organization and leadership in war: commanders assign elite warriors to protect vulnerable flanks while the leader holds the center to meet the enemy head-on. Ethically, it also reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring tension—martial duty and courage operating within a conflict whose righteousness is contested.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra the Kaurava deployment: Ashvatthama, Somadatta, and the Avanti princes Vinda and Anuvinda guard the left wing with a large force, while Duryodhana, encircled by Trigarta troops, stands in the center of the formation ready to confront the Pandavas.