Shloka 86
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
ज्वलन्तीमन्तरिक्षे तां ज्वालाभिरिव संवृताम् । असम्भ्रान्तस्तदा राजन् पिता देवव्रतस्तव
jvalantīm antarikṣe tāṁ jvālābhir iva saṁvṛtām | asambhrāntas tadā rājan pitā devavratas tava ||
সঞ্জয় বললেন—হে রাজন, তখন তোমার পিতা দেবব্রত (ভীষ্ম) একেবারে অবিচল থেকে আকাশে তাকে দেখলেন—যেন চারিদিক থেকে শিখা-শিখায় আবৃত হয়ে জ্বলছে।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness of mind in the face of terrifying or extraordinary sights: Bhīṣma remains asambhrānta—unshaken—suggesting the ethical ideal of courage and composure (dhairya) expected of a disciplined warrior and leader.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a striking vision: a female presence blazing in the sky, seemingly wrapped in flames. Bhīṣma (Devavrata), Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s father, witnesses it without panic, indicating an ominous or supernatural portent amid the war context.