Shloka 13
भीष्मसेनासंनिवेशः — Bhīṣma’s Mobilization, Omens, and the Kaurava Array
स तु वैकर्तन: कर्ण: सामात्य: सह बन्धुभि: | न्यासित: समरे शस्त्र भीष्मेण भरतर्षभ,भरतभूषण! इस युद्धमें भीष्मने मन्त्रियों और बन्धुओंसहित कर्णके अस्त्र-शस्त्र रखवा दिये थे
sa tu vaikartanaḥ karṇaḥ sāmātyaḥ saha bandhubhiḥ | nyāsitaḥ samare śastraṃ bhīṣmeṇa bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa, the son of the charioteer (Vaikartana), along with his ministers and kinsmen, had his weapons set aside on the battlefield by Bhīṣma, O bull among the Bharatas. The episode underscores Bhīṣma’s insistence on disciplined command and the subordination of personal rivalry to the order of war, even when it restrains a formidable warrior.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, authority and discipline matter: Bhīṣma prioritizes orderly command and the larger conduct of battle over individual pride, showing that dharma includes restraint and adherence to leadership.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma had Karṇa’s weapons set aside on the battlefield, with Karṇa’s ministers and kinsmen present—indicating Bhīṣma’s control over Karṇa’s participation and the tension between them within the Kaurava camp.