Shloka 37
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
पार्श्व॑तः के भ्यरक्षन्त गच्छन्तो दुर्गमां गतिम् समूहे के परान् वीरानू् प्रत्ययुध्यन्त संजय,संजय! किन लोगोंने दुर्गम संग्राममें आगे बढ़ते हुए उनके पार्श्रभागका संरक्षण किया था? और किन्होंने उस सैन्यसमूहमें आगे रहकर वीरतापूर्वक शत्रुयोद्धाओंका डटकर सामना किया था?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | pārśvataḥ ke hy arakṣanta gacchanto durgamāṃ gatim | samūhe ke parān vīrān pratyayudhyanta saṃjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Saṃjaya, as they advanced along that hard-to-pass course of battle, who guarded their flanks? And within that massed host, who stood in the forefront and fought back the enemy heroes face to face?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical responsibility of leadership in war: safeguarding one’s forces (especially the vulnerable flanks) and ensuring that capable warriors meet the enemy directly. It reflects kṣatriya-dharma as disciplined protection and organized resistance rather than reckless violence.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Saṃjaya for a tactical account of the battle: as the troops advanced through a difficult engagement, he wants to know who protected the sides of the advancing force and who, at the front of the formation, confronted the enemy champions in direct combat.