द्रौपदीहरणे पूर्वं परिक्लिष्टः स पाण्डवैः ॥
संस्मरंस् तं परिक्लेशं योत्स्यते परवीरहा ॥
एतेन हि तदा राजंस् तप आस्थाय दारुणम् ॥
सुदुर्लभो वरो लब्धः पाण्डवान् योद्धुम् आहवे ॥
स एष रथशार्दूलस् तद् वैरं संस्मरन् रणे ॥
योत्स्यते पाण्डवांस् तात प्राणांस् त्यक्त्वा सुदुस्त्यजान् ॥
draupadīharaṇe pūrvaṃ parikliṣṭaḥ sa pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
saṃsmaraṃs taṃ parikleśaṃ yotsyate paravīrahā ||
etena hi tadā rājaṃs tapa āsthāya dāruṇam ||
sudurlabho varo labdhaḥ pāṇḍavān yoddhum āhave ||
sa eṣa rathaśārdūlas tad vairaṃ saṃsmaran raṇe ||
yotsyate pāṇḍavāṃs tāta prāṇāṃs tyaktvā sudustyajān ||
'Formerly, at the abduction of Draupadi, he was humiliated by the Pandavas; remembering that torment, this slayer of enemy heroes will fight. It was then, O king, that having undertaken a severe austerity, he obtained an exceedingly rare boon -- to fight the Pandavas in battle. This tiger among chariot-warriors, remembering that enmity, O dear one, will fight the Pandavas in battle, giving up even his life, which is so hard to give up.'
abf7537a9bcc · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Here begins the sober reckoning of forces before the war. Dhritarashtra already senses the outcome: Arjuna's vow to kill Bhishma sounds to him like an almost accomplished fact. Bhishma, for his part, accepts the command without self-praise: he knows the science of war, yet does not conceal that war demands order, measure, and a clear understanding of every warrior. The listing of the rathas and atirathas shows not only the army's strength but also a web of personal debts, grievances, and choices that brought these men to Kurukshetra.