ततो दुर्योधनो राजा पुनर् भ्रातरम् अब्रवीत् ॥
सव्यं चक्रं युधामन्युर् उत्तमौजाश् च दक्षिणम् ॥
गोप्ताराव् अर्जुनस्यैताव् अर्जुनो ऽपि शिखण्डिनः ॥
स रक्ष्यमाणः पार्थेन तथास्माभिर् विवर्जितः ॥
यथा भीष्मं न नो हन्याद् दुःशासन तथा कुरु ॥
tato duryodhano rājā punar bhrātaram abravīt ||
savyaṃ cakraṃ yudhāmanyur uttamaujāś ca dakṣiṇam ||
goptārāv arjunasyaitāv arjuno 'pi śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
sa rakṣyamāṇaḥ pārthena tathāsmābhir vivarjitaḥ ||
yathā bhīṣmaṃ na no hanyād duḥśāsana tathā kuru ||
Then King Duryodhana again spoke to his brother: 'Yudhamanyu guards Arjuna's left wheel, and Uttamaujas the right. These two protect Arjuna, and Arjuna, in turn, protects Shikhandin. Duhshasana, arrange things so that Shikhandin, protected by Partha and avoided by us, does not slay our Bhishma.'
0f308d2fed7c · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:47:12 PM UTC
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Duryodhana sees the chain of protectors: Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas shield Arjuna, Arjuna shields Shikhandin, and Shikhandin threatens Bhishma. Thus one elder's personal vow becomes the center of the whole day's tactics.