Shloka 2

भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः

The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat

Devanagari script

द्रोणपुत्रेण शल्येन कृपेण च महात्मना । समसज्जत पाज्चाल्यस्त्रिभिरेतैर्महारथै:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | droṇaputreṇa śalyena kṛpeṇa ca mahātmanā | samasajjata pāñcālyas tribhir etair mahārathaiḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Sañjaya: O Bharata, ang prinsipe ng Pāñcāla (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) ay nakipagsagupaan nang malapitan sa tatlong dakilang mandirigmang-karwahe—kay Aśvatthāmā na anak ni Droṇa, kay Śalya, at kay Kṛpa na marangal ang diwa.

Word by Word

• द्रोणपुत्रेण: by Drona's son (Aśvatthāman)
• द्रोणपुत्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शल्येन: by Śalya
• शल्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• कृपेण: by Kṛpa
• कृपेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• समसज्जत: engaged (in battle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सज्ज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पाञ्चाल्यः: the Pāñcāla prince (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)
• पाञ्चाल्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• एतैः: with these
• एतैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• महारथैः: with great chariot-warriors
• महारथैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Bharata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)
• Droṇaputra (Aśvatthāmā)
• Śalya
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Pāñcālya (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)
• Mahāratha (warrior class/title)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: steadfastness in one’s martial duty even under overwhelming odds. Ethically, it points to the tension between personal survival and the obligation to stand firm for one’s side and command, a recurring Mahābhārata theme where courage and duty operate within the tragic machinery of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāñcāla prince and a leading Pāṇḍava commander, takes on three eminent Kaurava-aligned mahārathas—Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, and Kṛpa—engaging them together in battle, signaling an intense and concentrated clash among top warriors.