Shloka 1
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
#5०3८६>> हज # सप्तचत्वारिशो<्ध्याय: भीष्मके साथ अभिमन्युका भयंकर युद्ध
sañjaya uvāca | gatapūrvāhnabhūyiṣṭhe tasminn ahani dāruṇe | vartamāne tathā raudre mahāvīravarakṣaye | rājann atibhayaṅkare tasmin saṅgrāme tava putrājñayā durmukhaḥ kṛtavarmā kṛpācāryaḥ śalyaś ca viviṃśatiś ca tatra samāgatya bhīṣmasya rakṣāṃ cakruḥ |
桑贾亚说道：“大王啊，当那极其可怖之日的上午大半已过，凶猛的战斗——足以毁灭诸多顶尖大英雄——正酣之时，奉你儿子的命令，杜尔穆迦、克里特瓦尔摩、克利帕阿阇梨、沙利耶与毗毗ṃ沙底来到那里，列阵守护毗湿摩。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension between loyalty to authority and the broader ethical cost of war: obedience and factional duty can sustain a conflict that destroys even the greatest heroes, urging reflection on responsibility for collective violence.
As the battle intensifies later in the morning, Duryodhana orders key Kaurava warriors—Durmukha, Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpa, Śalya, and Viviṃśati—to gather and form a protective guard around Bhīṣma.