Shloka 16
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
तथा कुरुत कौरव्या यथा व: सात्यको युधि । न जीवन प्रतिनिर्याति महतो<स्माद् रथव्रजात्,“कौरवो! तुम ऐसा प्रयत्न करो, जिससे इस समरांगणमें आये हुए सात्यकि हमारे इस महान् रथ-समुदायसे जीवित न निकलने पावें
sañjaya uvāca | tathā kuruta kauravyā yathā vaḥ sātyako yudhi | na jīvan pratiniryāti mahato 'smād rathavrajāt ||
Sañjaya said: “So act, O sons of Kuru, that Sātyaki, engaged in this battle, may not escape alive from this vast host of our chariots.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the uncompromising logic of wartime counsel: when facing a powerful enemy warrior, commanders urge unified, decisive action to prevent his escape. Ethically, it illustrates the tension between strategic necessity in battle and the grim resolve to destroy an opponent.
Sañjaya reports an instruction directed to the Kauravas: they should exert themselves so that Sātyaki, fighting on the opposing side, does not get out alive from their large chariot formation—i.e., they should surround and eliminate him.