Shloka 246
Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam
महता रथवंशेन पार्थस्यावारयन् दिश: । तब रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कृपाचार्य
sañjaya uvāca | mahatā rathavaṃśena pārthasyāvārayan diśaḥ | tatra rathiyoṃ meṃ śreṣṭhaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ, duryodhanaḥ, aśvatthāmā, śalyaḥ, kāmbojarājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ, avantīke rājakumārau vinda-anūvindaḥ tathā bāhnalīkadeśīyaiḥ sainikaiḥ saha rājā bāhnīkaḥ—ete sarve rathināṃ viśālāṃ senāṃ sārdhaṃ kṛtvā tena pārthasya samantād diśaḥ, sarvān mārgaṃś ca rurodhuḥ |
सञ्जय उवाच—महता रथवंशेन पार्थस्य दिशः सर्वाः समन्तात् अवारयन्। तत्र कृपाचार्यो दुर्योधनश्चाश्वत्थामा शल्यः काम्बोजराजः सुदक्षिणः, अवन्तीपुत्रौ विन्दानुविन्दौ, बाह्नीकश्च बाहीकदेशीयैः सैन्यैः सह—एते महतीं रथसेनामादाय पार्थस्य सर्वान् मार्गान् न्यवारयन्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma in war is tested not only by personal courage but also by strategic pressure: many renowned warriors combine forces to restrain one opponent, showing the ethical tension between collective necessity in battle and the ideal of fair, heroic combat.
Sañjaya reports that leading Kaurava-aligned chariot-warriors—Kṛpa, Duryodhana, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Sudakṣiṇa, Vinda, Anuvinda, and Bāhnīka with Bāhlīka troops—assemble a large chariot contingent and block all approaches around Arjuna, effectively hemming him in.