Shloka 3
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
तस्य कार्य त्वया वीर रक्षणं सुमहात्मन:
tasya kāryaṁ tvayā vīra rakṣaṇaṁ sumahātmanaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O hero, it is your duty to protect that great-souled Bhīṣma. If our grandsire Bhīṣma remains safe in battle, he will strive for victory on the field and bring about the destruction of the Pāṇḍavas together with the Pāñcālas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames protection of a key elder-warrior as a warrior’s obligation (kārya), showing how dharma in a royal-war context can be expressed as loyalty to one’s side and strategic safeguarding of a decisive leader—while also hinting at the grave ethical weight of seeking victory through large-scale destruction.
Sañjaya reports counsel urging a warrior to ensure Bhīṣma’s safety. The reasoning is tactical: if Bhīṣma is kept secure on the battlefield, he will press for victory and is expected to devastate the opposing forces, specifically the Pāṇḍavas and their Pāñcāla allies.