15.269
mahata hi prayatnena
hasty-asva-ratha-pattibhih
asmabhir yad anustheyam
gandharvais tad anusthitam
SYNONYMS
mahata—very great; hi—certainly; prayatnena—by endeavor; hasti—elephants; asva—horses; ratha—chariots; pattibhih—and by infantry soldiers; asmabhih—by ourselves; yat—whatever; anustheyam—has to be arranged; gandharvaih—by the Gandharvas; tat—that; anusthitam—done " ’What we have had to arrange with great endeavor by collecting elephants, horses, chariots and infantry soldiers has already been accomplished by the Gandharvas.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Mahabharata (Vana-parva 241.15).
Bhimasena made this statement when all the Pandavas were living incognito.
At that time there was a fight between the Kauravas and the Gandharvas.
The Kaurava soldiers were under the command of Karna, but the commander-in-chief of the Gandharvas was able to arrest all the Kauravas by virtue of superior military strength.
At that time Duryodhana’s ministers and commanders, who were living in the forest, requested Maharaja Yudhisthira to help.
After being thus petitioned, Bhimasena spoke the verse given above, remembering Duryodhana’s former nefarious and atrocious activities against them.
Indeed, Bhimasena felt it very fitting that Duryodhana and his company were arrested.
This could have been accomplished by the Pandavas only with great endeavor.