Shloka 50
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
युधिष्ठिरं तु कौन्तेयं महत्या सेनया वृतम् । भीष्माभिमुखमायान्तं भारद्वाजो न्यवारयत्,(तत्र युद्धमभूद् घोरं तयो: पुरुषसिंहयो: ।) दूसरी ओर कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरको विशाल सेनाके साथ भीष्मके सम्मुख आते देख द्रोणाचार्यने रोक दिया; वहाँ उन दोनों पुरुषसिंहोंमें घोर युद्ध हुआ
yudhiṣṭhiraṃ tu kaunteyaṃ mahatyā senayā vṛtam | bhīṣmābhimukham āyāntaṃ bhāradvājo nyavārayat || (tatra yuddham abhūd ghoraṃ tayoḥ puruṣasiṃhayoḥ |)
Sañjaya said: Seeing Kuntī’s son Yudhiṣṭhira, surrounded by a vast army, advancing straight toward Bhīṣma, Droṇācārya (the son of Bharadvāja) checked his advance. There, between those two lion-like men, a fierce battle arose—an encounter that underscores how, in war, even the most dharma-minded are compelled into violent confrontation by duty and circumstance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of dharma in wartime: even a ruler devoted to righteousness (Yudhiṣṭhira) must engage in violence when bound by kṣatriya duty and the larger demands of protecting order and fulfilling responsibility.
Yudhiṣṭhira, backed by a large force, advances toward Bhīṣma. Droṇa intervenes and halts him, leading to a fierce duel-like engagement between these two eminent warriors.