Shloka 2
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
आचार्यमुपसंगम्य कृपं शल्यं च पार्थिव । सौमदत्तिं विकर्ण च सो<श्वृत्थामानमेव च
ācāryam upasaṅgamya kṛpaṃ śalyaṃ ca pārthiva | saumadattiṃ vikarṇaṃ ca so ’śvatthāmānam eva ca ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “O Hari, nilapitan ng iyong anak (si Duryodhana) ang gurong si Droṇa, at gayundin sina Kṛpa at Śalya, pati si Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), si Vikarṇa, at si Aśvatthāmā; at nakihalo siya sa hanay ng mga pangunahing mandirigma. Nang makita niya ang nakapanghihilakbot at wari’y di-mabutas na pormasyong ‘Krauñca’ na binabantayan ni Arjuna na may di-masukat na ningning, hinangad niyang pasiglahin sila sa napapanahong pananalita—upang patibayin ang kanilang loob sa nalalapit na sagupaan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: in war, leaders actively shape outcomes not only through force but through counsel and morale. Duryodhana’s act of approaching senior warriors underscores reliance on experienced authority (ācārya, elders) and the strategic importance of timely speech—yet it also implicitly frames the moral tension of pursuing victory even when dharma is contested.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, seeing the formidable Krauñca formation protected by Arjuna, goes to key Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Kṛpa, Śalya, Bhūriśravas, Vikarṇa, and Aśvatthāmā—to encourage them and prepare them for the imminent engagement.