Shloka 8
Adhyāya 112: Bhīṣma-prati Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Forward Drive Toward Bhīṣma
यथाप्रतिज्ञं कौरव्य स चापि समितिज्जय: । पार्थानामकरोदू भीष्म: सततं समितिक्षयम्,कुरुनन्दन! युद्धविजयी भीष्म अपनी प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार रणक्षेत्रमें कुन्तीकुमारोंके सैनिकोंका निरन्तर संहार कर रहे थे
yathāpratijñaṃ kauravya sa cāpi samitijjayaḥ | pārthānām akarod bhīṣmaḥ satataṃ samitikṣayam, kurunandana ||
Sañjaya said: “O descendant of the Kurus, true to his vow, Bhīṣma—ever victorious in battle—was continually bringing about the destruction of the Pāṇḍavas’ forces.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of dharma in war: unwavering commitment to a vow (pratijñā) is portrayed as a powerful virtue, yet in the battlefield it can lead to relentless violence and suffering. It invites reflection on how duty and pledged obligation can conflict with compassion.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, keeping his earlier pledge, is continuously inflicting heavy losses on the Pāṇḍavas’ forces, demonstrating his battlefield supremacy and intensifying the crisis for the Pāṇḍava side.