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Shloka 426

गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह

Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation

भीष्म: श्वेतश्व युयुधे परस्परवधैषिणौ । तदनन्तर वे दोनों पुरुषश्रेष्ठ भीष्म और श्वेत अपने अस्त्रोंद्वारा विपक्षीके अस्त्रोंका निवारण करके एक-दूसरेको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे युद्ध करने लगे

sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmaḥ śvetaśva yuyudhe parasparavadhaiṣiṇau | tadanantaraṃ tau dvau puruṣaśreṣṭhau bhīṣmaś ca śvetaś ca svair astrair vipakṣasyāstrāṇi nivārya parasparaṃ hantum icchantau yuddhaṃ cakratuḥ |

三阇耶说道:毗湿摩与白马将(Śvetāśva)彼此交战,双方都一心要取对方性命。继而,这两位人中最胜——毗湿摩与白马将——以自身兵器格挡敌方飞矢与武器,复又投入鏖战,怀着将对手击倒斩杀的决意。

भीष्मःBhishma
भीष्मः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootभीष्म
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
श्वेतश्वःShvetashva (he whose horses are white)
श्वेतश्वः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootश्वेतश्व
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
युयुधेthey fought
युयुधे:
TypeVerb
Rootयुध्
FormPerfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Dual, Atmanepada
परस्पर-वध-एषिणौdesiring each other's killing
परस्पर-वध-एषिणौ:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootएषिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Dual

संजय उवाच

S
Sanjaya
B
Bhishma
S
Shvetashva
A
astras (weapons/missiles)
V
vipaksha (the opposing side/enemy)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the battlefield application of kṣatriya-dharma: disciplined skill (warding off weapons) is directed toward decisive victory. It reflects the tension in epic ethics—restraint and mastery exist alongside the accepted duty to fight lethally when war is deemed unavoidable.

Sanjaya describes a direct duel: Bhishma and Shvetashva counter each other’s missiles with their own weapons and then continue fighting, each determined to kill the other.