Shloka 6

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः

Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma

Devanagari script

ततो<वहारं सैन्यानां कृत्वा तत्र महारथा: । न्यविशन्त कुरुश्रेष्ठ संग्रामे क्षतविक्षता:,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! इस प्रकार संग्राममें क्षत-विक्षत हुए वे सब महारथी सेनाको लौटाकर शिविरमें विश्राम करने लगे

Transliteration

tato ’vahāraṃ sainyānāṃ kṛtvā tatra mahārathāḥ | nyaviśanta kuruśreṣṭha saṅgrāme kṣata-vikṣatāḥ ||

Translation

سنجے نے کہا—اے کوروؤں میں برتر! پھر لشکروں کی پسپائی کرا کے وہ سب مہارتھی، جو اس جنگ میں زخمی اور چاک چوبند ہو چکے تھے، وہیں اپنے کیمپ میں ٹھہر کر آرام کرنے لگے۔

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

अवहारम्withdrawal, retreat (drawing back)

सैन्यानाम्of the armies/troops

कृत्वाhaving done/made

तत्रthere

महारथाःgreat chariot-warriors

न्यविशन्तthey sat down / took rest / encamped

कुरुश्रेष्ठO best of the Kurus

संग्रामेin battle

क्षतविक्षताःwounded and mangled

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the address kuruśreṣṭha)

Kuru warriors (collective)

mahārathas (collective elite fighters)

army/troops (sainyāni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the reality that war, even when framed as duty, inflicts severe suffering; the pause to withdraw and rest implicitly points to the limits of human endurance and the ethical weight carried by those who fight.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that after the day’s fighting, the commanders withdraw their troops; the great warriors, injured in combat, return to the camp and rest, marking a transition between phases of battle.