Shloka 31
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
अभ्यवर्तत पाज्चाल्य: संयुक्त: सह सोमकै: । तदनन्तर गंगानन्दन भीष्मका प्रिय करनेमें लगे हुए महाधनुर्धर द्रोणाचार्यपर सोमकोंसहित धृष्टद्युम्नने आक्रमण किया ।। ३० ई ।। भीष्मस्तु रथिनां श्रेष्ठी राजन् विव्याध पाण्डवम्
abhyávartata pāñcālyaḥ saṁyuktaḥ saha somakaiḥ | tadanantaraṁ gaṅgānandana-bhīṣmaka-priya-karaṇeṣu lagne mahādhanuṣdhare droṇācārye somakaiḥ saha dhṛṣṭadyumno 'bhyākrāmat || bhīṣmas tu rathināṁ śreṣṭhī rājan vivyādha pāṇḍavam ||
अभ्यवर्तत पाञ्चाल्यः संयुक्तः सह सोमकैः । भीष्मस्तु रथिनां श्रेष्ठी राजन् विव्याध पाण्डवम् ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of loyalty and duty: Droṇa acts in a way meant to support and please his commander Bhīṣma, while Dhrishtadyumna presses his vowed enmity against Droṇa. It underscores how personal vows, allegiance, and role-based dharma shape conduct in war.
Dhrishtadyumna, supported by the Somakas, advances and attacks Droṇa while Droṇa is engaged in actions aligned with Bhīṣma’s interests. In response within the broader clash, Bhīṣma—preeminent among chariot-fighters—wounds a Pāṇḍava with arrows.