Shloka 22
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
यत्र राजा पाण्डव: सत्यसंधो व्यवस्थितो भीमसेनार्जुनौ च । वासुदेव: सात्यकि: सृञ्जयाश्न यमौ च कस्तान् विषहेन्मदन्य:
yatra rājā pāṇḍavaḥ satyasaṃdho vyavasthito bhīmasenārjunau ca | vāsudevaḥ sātyakiḥ sṛñjayāś ca yamau ca kas tān viṣahen madanyaḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Nơi vị vua Pāṇḍava, người giữ trọn lời chân thật, đứng vững—nơi Bhīmasena và Arjuna án ngữ—nơi Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), Sātyaki, các dũng sĩ Sṛñjaya, cùng đôi huynh đệ (Nakula và Sahadeva) cũng bày trận—ngoài ta ra, còn ai chịu nổi sức xung kích của những chiến binh ấy?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral steadfastness (Yudhiṣṭhira as satyasaṃdha) and righteous solidarity amplify strength: dharma is portrayed not as abstract virtue but as a stabilizing force that gathers capable allies and makes a formation difficult to withstand.
Sañjaya describes the Pāṇḍava battle-array: Yudhiṣṭhira stands firm with Bhīma and Arjuna, supported by Kṛṣṇa, Sātyaki, the Sṛñjaya warriors, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. He rhetorically asks who besides himself could endure their combined momentum, emphasizing their formidable presence on the battlefield.