Text 5
iti karṇaḥ śalo bhūrir
yajñaketuḥ suyodhanaḥ
sāmbam ārebhire yoddhuṁ
kuru-vṛddhānumoditāḥ
iti — saying this; karṇaḥ śalaḥ bhūriḥ — Karṇa, Śala and Bhūri (Saumadatti); yajñaketuḥ suyodhanaḥ — Yajñaketu (Bhūriśravā) and Duryodhana; sāmbam — against Sāmba; ārebhire — they set out; yoddhum — to fight; kuru-vṛddha — by the elder of the Kurus (Bhīṣma); anumoditāḥ — sanctioned.
After saying this and having their plan sanctioned by the senior member of the Kuru dynasty, Karṇa, Śala, Bhūri, Yajñaketu and Suyodhana set out to attack Sāmba.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that the elder of the Kurus mentioned here is Bhīṣma, who gave permission to the younger men as follows: “Since this maiden has now been touched by Sāmba, she cannot take any other husband. He must become her husband. Nonetheless, you should arrest him and tie him up to make a statement about his impropriety and our own prowess. But in no case should he be killed.” The ācārya also adds that Bhīṣma accompanied the five warriors mentioned in this verse.