Shloka 32
अचिन्तयद् रणे वीरो बुद्धया परपुरंजय: । अपनी उस शक्तिको छिजन्न-भिन्न हुई देख भीष्मजी क्रोधमें निमग्न हो गये और शत्रुनगरविजयी उन वीर-शिरोमणिने रणक्षेत्रमें अपनी बुद्धिके द्वारा इस प्रकार विचार किया “३१३ || शक्तो5हं धनुषैकेन निहन्तुं सर्वपाण्डवान्
sañjaya uvāca | acintayad raṇe vīro buddhyā parapuraṃjayaḥ |
Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, that heroic conqueror of enemy strongholds reflected with clear intelligence. Seeing his own power being worn down and shattered, Bhīṣma sank into anger; and the foremost of warriors deliberated on the field—measuring duty, resolve, and the hard limits imposed by the unfolding war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violence and crisis, the text highlights buddhi (discernment) as essential: a warrior must not act only from krodha (anger) but must reflect on means, duty, and consequences. The verse frames battle not merely as force, but as a moral and strategic test of self-governance.
Sanjaya reports that a leading warrior—contextually Bhishma and/or the Kaurava champion described as 'conqueror of enemy strongholds'—pauses to deliberate on the battlefield. The surrounding prose in the Gita Press passage indicates Bhishma’s power is being checked and he becomes enraged, prompting renewed strategic thought amid intense attacks.