Shloka 23
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
भीमसेनो5भिमन्युश्न राक्षसश्न॒ घटोत्कच: । द्रौपदेया: सत्यधृति: क्षत्रदेवश्ष भारत
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmaseno 'bhimanyuś ca rākṣasaś ca ghaṭotkacaḥ | draupadeyāḥ satyadhṛtiḥ kṣatradevaś ca bhārata | kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ |
三阇耶说道：“婆罗多啊，彼处有毗摩塞那与阿毗曼纽，又有罗刹迦托迦遮，并有德罗帕蒂之子——萨提耶陀利提与刹帝罗提婆。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ego and inability to accept setbacks can deepen conflict: a leader’s repeated sighs and fixation on defeat show inner turmoil, suggesting that self-control and humility are essential even amid kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya lists key Pāṇḍava fighters (Bhīma, Abhimanyu, Ghaṭotkaca, and Draupadī’s sons) and notes that the formidable Duryodhana, repeatedly sighing, recounts the episode of Ghaṭotkaca’s success and his own defeat (as expanded in the surrounding prose: he goes to Bhīṣma and reports the events).