Shloka 35
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
पीड्यमानं स्वकं सैन्यं दृष्टवा पार्थेन संयुगे । उन समस्त कौरवोंका हर्षनाद सुनकर प्रतापी पुरुषसिंह अर्जुनने उनकी सेनाके भीतर प्रवेश किया। राजन्! उन महारथियोंके भीतर पहुँचकर अर्जुन उन सबको अपने बाणोंका निशाना बनाकर धनुषसे खेल करने लगे। तब प्रजापालक राजा दुर्योधनने अर्जुनके द्वारा युद्धमें अपनी सेनाको पीड़ित हुई देख भीष्मसे कहा-- || ३२-३४ ई ।। एष पाण्डुसुतस्तात कृष्णेन सहितो बली
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Sanjaya said: Seeing his own army harassed and crushed by Partha (Arjuna) in the thick of battle, Duryodhana’s side was shaken. Arjuna, entering the enemy host and treating the fight like a contest of skill, made the foremost warriors his targets with a steady rain of arrows. Confronted with the suffering of his troops, King Duryodhana—charged with the duty of protecting his people—turned to Bhishma in anxious reproach, questioning how such slaughter could occur while Bhishma and Drona still stood alive.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the ethical burden of leadership in war: a king is accountable for the welfare of his troops, and military command carries moral weight. It also contrasts personal valor (Arjuna’s mastery) with the duty of senior commanders (Bhishma, Drona) whose presence is expected to protect the army.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna (Partha), fighting alongside Krishna, penetrates the Kaurava formation and strikes down or harasses many warriors with arrows. Seeing his army suffering, Duryodhana turns to Bhishma (and implicitly Drona) and questions how such devastation is occurring while the great elders still lead the field.