स छाद्यमानः समरे गौतमेन यशस्विना ॥
व्यषीदत रथोपस्थे शिखण्डी रथिनां वरः ॥
सीदन्तं चैनम् आलोक्य कृपः शारद्वतो युधि ॥
आजघ्ने बहुभिर् बाणैर् जिघांसन्न् इव भारत ॥
विमुखं तं रणे दृष्ट्वा याज्ञसेनिं महारथम् ॥
पाञ्चालाः सोमकाश् चैव परिवव्रुः समन्ततः ॥
तथैव तव पुत्राश् च परिवव्रुर् द्विजोत्तमम् ॥
महत्या सेनया सार्धं ततो युद्धम् अभूत् पुनः ॥
sa chādyamānaḥ samare gautamena yaśasvinā ||
vyaṣīdata rathopasthe śikhaṇḍī rathināṃ varaḥ ||
sīdantaṃ cainam ālokya kṛpaḥ śāradvato yudhi ||
ājaghne bahubhir bāṇair jighāṃsann iva bhārata ||
vimukhaṃ taṃ raṇe dṛṣṭvā yājñaseniṃ mahāratham ||
pāñcālāḥ somakāś caiva parivavruḥ samantataḥ ||
tathaiva tava putrāś ca parivavrur dvijottamam ||
mahatyā senayā sārdhaṃ tato yuddham abhūt punaḥ ||
Then, taking another bow, Gautama, best of warriors, covered Shikhandin, O great king, with sharp arrows. He, being covered in battle by the illustrious Gautama, sank onto the floor of his chariot - Shikhandin, best of warriors. Seeing him sinking down, Kripa, son of Sharadvat, struck him in the fight with many arrows, as though longing to slay him, O Bharata. Seeing him, the son of Yajnasena, the great warrior, turned back in the fight, the Panchalas and the Somakas surrounded him on all sides.
4c54dda9e48d · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Old Kripa overpowers Shikhandin - and at once the Panchalas rise like a wall to his rescue: where one falls, the host lends its shoulder. It is significant that even the venerable teacher is fearsome in battle: his years have not diminished his might. The verse teaches that an army is held together by mutual defense - the broken are not abandoned but surrounded and shielded; and in this circle of mutual protection, where the strong cover the weakened, lies the living force of alliance, which does not let the enemy finish what he has begun.