Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard
युधिष्ठटिरस्य च क्रोधो भीष्मश्वार्जुनसज्भतः । मम चास्त्रसमारम्भ: प्रजानामशिवं ध्रुवम्
yudhiṣṭhirasya ca krodho bhīṣmaśvārjunasambhavaḥ | mama cāstrasamārambhaḥ prajānām aśivaṃ dhruvam ||
Sañjaya said: “Yudhiṣṭhira’s rising anger, the clash between Bhīṣma and Arjuna, and my own readiness to set various weapons in motion—these three are surely ominous signs, foretelling misfortune for the people.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames anger and escalation in warfare as ethically dangerous: when even the dharma-minded Yudhiṣṭhira is driven to wrath, when revered elders and foremost heroes collide, and when weapons are actively set in motion, the likely outcome is widespread harm to ordinary people. It highlights the moral cost of war borne by the populace.
Sañjaya, observing the battlefield developments, interprets three signs—Yudhiṣṭhira’s anger, the confrontation between Bhīṣma and Arjuna, and his own initiation of weapon-use—as portents. He concludes these indicate impending calamity for the subjects caught in the conflict.