Shloka 8
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
महाबाहु घटोत्कच आपके पुत्रको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे वह शक्ति ऊपरको उठा रहा था। उसे उठी हुई देख वंगदेशके राजाने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ अपने पर्वताकार गजराजको उस राक्षसकी ओर बढ़ाया ।।
sa nāgapravareṇājau balinā śīghragāminā | yato duryodhana-rathas taṃ mārgaṃ pratyavartata ||
Sañjaya sprach: Auf jenem vorzüglichsten Elefanten reitend—mächtig und schnell im Gedränge der Schlacht—kehrte der König von Vaṅga auf demselben Weg zurück, wo Duryodhanas Wagen stand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield decisions are often driven by loyalty, urgency, and the protection of one’s leader; ethically, it points to the way haste and factional attachment can deepen the spiral of violence, even when framed as kṣatriya duty.
The king of Vaṅga, riding a powerful and swift elephant, turns back and proceeds along the same path toward the position where Duryodhana’s chariot is located—suggesting a rapid maneuver to support or defend Duryodhana amid the ongoing clash.