Shloka 61

गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह

Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation

Devanagari script

यत्ता भीष्म परीप्सध्वं रक्षमाणा: समन्ततः । मा नः प्रपश्यमानानां श्वेतान्मृत्युमवाप्स्यति

Transliteration

yattā bhīṣma parīpsadhvaṁ rakṣamāṇāḥ samantataḥ | mā naḥ prapaśyamānānāṁ śvetān mṛtyum avāpsyati ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Ringt darum, Bhīṣma in Sicherheit zu bringen—bewacht ihn von allen Seiten. Lasst nicht zu, dass jener weißschimmernde Krieger uns den Tod bringt, während wir nur dastehen und zusehen.“

Word by Word

यत्ताstrive, be vigilant

भीष्मBhishma

परीप्सध्वम्protect, guard (carefully)

रक्षमाणाःprotecting, guarding

समन्ततःon all sides, all around

माdo not (prohibitive particle)

नःof us / our

प्रपश्यमानानाम्of (us) who are watching/looking on

श्वेतात्from Shveta (the warrior named Śveta)

मृत्युम्death

अवाप्स्यतिwill obtain/meet (death)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

Śveta (epithet: 'the white one')

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In a dharmic war context, leadership entails vigilant protection of key elders/commanders; negligence—merely watching while danger approaches—becomes a moral and strategic failure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an urgent battlefield exhortation: the warriors are told to surround and protect Bhīṣma, fearing that the white(-hued) fighter called Śveta may strike down the Kuru side even as they look on.