Shloka 26
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
द्रौपदेया रणे क्रुद्धा दुर्योधनमवारयन् । शरैराशीविषाकारै: पुत्र॑ं तव विशाम्पते
sañjaya uvāca | draupadeyā raṇe kruddhā duryodhanam avārayan | śarair āśīviṣākāraiḥ putraṁ tava viśāmpate prajānātha ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa nag-aalab na galit ng labanan, hinarang ng limang anak ni Draupadī ang pagsulong ni Duryodhana. Sa pamamagitan ng nakapanghihilakbot na mga palasong anyong ahas na makamandag, pinigil nila ang anak mo, O panginoon ng bayan—ipinapakita na sa digmaan, maging ang ambisyong maharlika ay napipilitang umurong sa harap ng matatag na pagtutol at ng bunga ng landas na pinili.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of chosen actions in war: aggressive advance driven by ambition meets determined opposition, and the battlefield quickly turns intention into consequence. It also underscores the Kṣatriya ethos—courage and resistance—while implicitly reminding the listener (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) that the war he enabled brings peril even to his own son.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Draupadī’s five sons, enraged in the fight, block Duryodhana’s forward movement by showering him with terrifying arrows likened to venomous serpents.