Shloka 35
तयोर्युद्धं समभवद् भीष्महेतो: परंतप
sañjaya uvāca | tayor yuddhaṃ samabhavad bhīṣma-hetoḥ parantapa |
Sanjaya said: Between those two, a fierce battle arose on account of Bhishma. O scorcher of foes, it became a very weighty and decisive combat for Bhishma—like the single combat between King Bali and Indra in the war of gods and demons.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a single pivotal figure can become the moral and strategic center of conflict: the struggle intensifies “for Bhishma’s sake,” underscoring responsibility in war and the heavy consequences that gather around revered elders and commanders.
Sanjaya reports to the king that a fierce duel/battle erupted between two warriors, and that the contest became especially momentous with Bhishma as the central cause—likened to the famed single combat of Bali and Indra in the Deva–Asura war.