Shloka 36
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
तथैव समरे राजन् पिता देवव्रतस्तव । आससाद रणे पार्थ स्वर्भानुरिव भास्करम्,राजन! जैसे सूर्यपर राहु आक्रमण करता है, उसी प्रकार आपके पितृव्य देवव्रत भीष्मने समरभूमिमें कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनपर धावा किया
tathaiva samare rājan pitā devavratas tava | āsasāda raṇe pārthaḥ svarbhānur iva bhāskaram ||
Sañjaya said: Even so, O King, your father’s brother Devavrata (Bhīṣma) charged at Pārtha (Arjuna) in the thick of battle, just as Svarbhānu (Rāhu) rushes to seize the Sun.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising force of duty in war: even revered elders like Bhīṣma, bound by vows and allegiance, may confront beloved kin. The Rāhu–Sun simile intensifies the ethical gravity—an awe-inspiring yet ominous clash where personal affection yields to pledged responsibility.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Devavrata), Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s paternal uncle, advances fiercely against Arjuna (Pārtha) on the battlefield, likening the attack to Rāhu’s assault on the Sun during an eclipse.