Shloka 66

Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra

Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance

Devanagari script

सौभद्रे भीमसेने च सात्यकौ च महारथे

Transliteration

saubhadre bhīmasene ca sātyakau ca mahārathe | pāṇḍavapakṣakī orase subhadrākumāra abhimanyuḥ bhīmasenaḥ mahārathī sātyakiḥ kekayarājakumāraḥ rājā virāṭaḥ tathā drupadaputraḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ—ete puruṣasiṃhāś ca cedī-matsyadeśasya kṣatriyā yuddhaṃ kurvanti sma | kurukulavṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ bhīṣmaḥ etān sarvān prati bāṇavarṣaṃ prārabhata ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Về phía Pāṇḍava có Abhimanyu, con của Subhadrā; Bhīmasena; đại xa chiến binh Sātyaki; hoàng tử xứ Kekaya; vua Virāṭa; và Dhṛṣṭadyumna, con của Drupada—những bậc trượng phu như sư tử ấy, cùng các chiến sĩ Kṣatriya của Cedi và Matsya, đang giao chiến. Bấy giờ, Bhīṣma—vị tổ phụ già của dòng Kuru—bắt đầu trút xuống họ tất cả một cơn mưa tên.

Word by Word

• सौभद्रे: in/with Abhimanyu (son of Subhadra)
• सौभद्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभद्र (सुभद्रापुत्र)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• भीमसेने: in/with Bhimasena
• भीमसेने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• सात्यकौ: in/with Satyaki
• सात्यकौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• महारथे: in/with the great chariot-warrior
• महारथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Abhimanyu (Saubhadra)
• Subhadra
• Bhimasena (Bhima)
• Satyaki (Yuyudhana)
• Kekaya prince
• King Virata
• Dhrishtadyumna
• Drupada
• Bhishma
• Kuru dynasty
• Pandava side
• Cedi
• Matsya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in practice: renowned warriors on the Pāṇḍava side stand together in battle, and Bhīṣma—though aged and revered—fulfills his chosen duty as commander by meeting them with full martial force. It highlights how personal bonds and reverence do not suspend one’s role-bound obligations in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya lists key Pāṇḍava-aligned fighters (Abhimanyu, Bhīma, Sātyaki, the Kekaya prince, Virāṭa, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and allied Cedi and Matsya Kṣatriyas) actively fighting. Bhīṣma then initiates a concentrated counterattack, described as a ‘shower of arrows’ directed at all of them.