Shloka 18

भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्

Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement

Devanagari script

एवमेतं महाव्यूहं प्रत्यव्यूहन्त पाण्डवा:

Transliteration

evam etaṁ mahāvyūhaṁ pratyavyūhanta pāṇḍavāḥ

Translation

桑阇耶说道：“就这样，为应对那宏大的战阵，般度五子布置了反制之阵——以谋对谋，循战争之序与义务所驱的争斗而行。”

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• एतम्: this
• एतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाव्यूहम्: great battle-formation
• महाव्यूहम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाव्यूह
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रति: against, in return
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• अव्यूहन्त: they arrayed (in formation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ऊह्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पाण्डवाः: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• mahāvyūha (great battle formation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined response under pressure: in a dharma-framed conflict, one must meet challenges with clarity, organization, and appropriate strategy rather than panic—fulfilling one’s role with steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava forces, seeing the opponent’s large formation, arranged a corresponding counter-formation to face it on the battlefield.