Shloka 37
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
पार्श्व॑तः के भ्यरक्षन्त गच्छन्तो दुर्गमां गतिम् समूहे के परान् वीरानू् प्रत्ययुध्यन्त संजय
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | pārśvataḥ ke hy arakṣanta gacchanto durgamāṃ gatim | samūhe ke parān vīrān pratyayudhyanta saṃjaya ||
قال دْهريتاراشترا: «يا سَنْجَيا، حين تقدّموا في ذلك المسلك القتالي العسير، من الذي حمى جوانبهم؟ وداخل ذلك الحشد المتراصّ، من الذي ثبت في المقدّمة وقاتل أبطال العدو وجهاً لوجه؟»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical responsibility of leadership in war: safeguarding one’s forces (especially the vulnerable flanks) and ensuring that capable warriors meet the enemy directly. It reflects kṣatriya-dharma as disciplined protection and organized resistance rather than reckless violence.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Saṃjaya for a tactical account of the battle: as the troops advanced through a difficult engagement, he wants to know who protected the sides of the advancing force and who, at the front of the formation, confronted the enemy champions in direct combat.