Shloka 13
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
भीमसेन और भीष्मका युद्ध अथ काम्बोजजैरश्लैर्महद्धिः शीघ्रगामिभि: । गोपानां बहुसाहसैब्बलैगोंपायनैर्वृत:ः,तत्पश्चात् काम्बोजराज सुदक्षिण काम्बोजदेशीय विशाल एवं शीघ्रगामी घोड़ोंपर आरूढ़ हो युद्धके लिये चले। उनके साथ गोपायन नामवाले कई हजार गोप-सैनिक थे
sañjaya uvāca | atha kāmboja-jaiḥ aśvaiḥ mahadbhir hi śīghra-gāmibhiḥ | gopānāṃ bahu-sāhasaiḥ balaiḥ gopāyanaiḥ vṛtaḥ | tataḥ paścāt kāmboja-rājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ kāmboja-deśīyān viśālān evaṃ śīghra-gāminaḥ aśvān āruhya yuddhāya niryayau | tena sārdhaṃ gopāyana-nāmānaḥ aneke sahasrāṇi gopa-sainikāḥ āsan ||
پھر کامبوج کے راجا سُدَکشِن، عظیم اور تیز رفتار کامبوجی گھوڑوں پر سوار ہو کر، ‘گوپایَن’ نامی نہایت جری گوالا سپاہیوں کے کئی ہزاروں سے گھرا ہوا، جنگ کے لیے آگے بڑھا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights martial virtues—speed, strength, and daring—while implicitly reminding the reader that such virtues are ethically charged in the Mahābhārata: courage and discipline are admirable, yet their use in war must be weighed against dharma and the consequences of violence.
Sañjaya describes the Kāmboja contingent: King Sudakṣiṇa mounts swift, powerful horses and advances to fight, accompanied by many thousands of bold Gopāyana gopa-soldiers, as the broader battle (including Bhīma and Bhīṣma’s fighting) unfolds.