Shloka 2
Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard
विधुन्वानो नरश्रेष्ठो द्रावयाणो वरूथिनीम् । पृतनां पाण्डवेयानां गाहमाना महाबल:
vidhunvāno naraśreṣṭho drāvayāṇo varūthinīm | pṛtanāṃ pāṇḍaveyānāṃ gāhamāno mahābalaḥ ||
அந்த நரசிறந்தவன், மகாபலன், எதிரி படையணியை உலுக்கி ஓடச்செய்து, பாண்டவர்களின் சேனையில் ஆழமாகப் புகுந்தான்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the raw power of martial prowess—how a single mighty hero can shake and scatter formations—yet, in the Mahābhārata’s ethical horizon, such force is not the final measure of rightness; it functions within dharma, responsibility, and the unfolding consequences of the war.
Sañjaya describes a powerful warrior (unnamed in this single verse) who shakes the opposing ranks, routs a battle-formation, and drives into the midst of the Pāṇḍava army, intensifying the clash on the battlefield.