Shloka 4
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
संजय कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रथम दिनके युद्धमें जब पाण्डव-सेना पीछे हटा दी गयी
sañjaya uvāca | bharataśreṣṭha prathamadine yuddhe yadā pāṇḍavasenā parāṅmukhī kṛtā, tadā bhīṣmasya yuddhaviṣayaka utsāhaḥ prāvardhata, duryodhanaś ca harṣātirekeṇollalitaḥ | atha dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ sarvair bhrātṛbhiḥ sarvaiś ca rājabhiḥ sārdhaṃ tvaritaṃ bhagavantaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ samupāgamat | sa śokasantaptaḥ bhīṣmasya parākramaṃ dṛṣṭvā svaparājayacintayā bhagavantaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ pratyuvāca— | kṛṣṇa paśya maheṣvāsaṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhīmaparākramam | śarair dahantaṃ sainyaṃ me grīṣme kakṣam ivānalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O best of the Bharatas, when on the first day of battle the Pāṇḍava host was driven back, Bhīṣma’s ardor for war only increased, and Duryodhana exulted in overflowing joy. Then Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, together with all his brothers and the assembled kings, hurried to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Tormented by grief, seeing Bhīṣma’s might and anxious about their impending defeat, he spoke to Kṛṣṇa: ‘Kṛṣṇa, behold Bhīṣma—mighty archer, terrible in valor—burning my army with his arrows, like a fire in summer consuming the dry grass of the scrubland.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the dharma-minded leader (Yudhishthira) experiences fear and grief when confronted with overwhelming force; the ethical response is not denial but seeking right counsel and steadiness through Krishna’s guidance—turning anxiety into disciplined action aligned with duty.
On the first day of the Kurukshetra war, the Pandava forces are pushed back by Bhishma’s devastating archery. Duryodhana rejoices, while Yudhishthira, distressed and worried about defeat, approaches Krishna and points to Bhishma’s onslaught, comparing it to a summer fire consuming dry grass.