Shloka 13
(भीष्मो5पि दृष्टवा समरे कृतास्त्रान् स पाण्डवानां रथिनो हरुदारान् | विहाय संग्राममुखे धनंजयं जवेन पार्थ पुनराजगाम ।।) भीष्म भी अस्त्र-विद्याके विद्वान् एवं उदार पाण्डवरथियोंको युद्धस्थलमें अपने सामने देखते हुए भी उन सबको वहीं छोड़कर बड़े वेगसे पुनः अर्जुनके पास आये। युधिष्ठिरश्न प्रबलो महात्मा समाययौ त्वरितो जातकोप:,उस समय उत्कृष्ट बलशाली अनन्तकीर्ति महात्मा युधिष्ठिर भी युद्धमें अपने भागके रूपमें प्राप्त हुए मद्रराज शल्यको छोड़कर नकुल, सहदेव और भीमसेनके साथ क्रोधपूर्वक तुरंत वहाँसे चल दिये और युद्धके लिये शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मके पास जा पहुँचे
sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmo 'pi dṛṣṭvā samare kṛtāstrān sa pāṇḍavānāṁ rathino hṛdārān | vihāya saṅgrāmamukhe dhanañjayaṁ javena pārtha punar ājagāma ||
Sañjaya said: Even Bhīṣma—though he saw before him on the battlefield the noble-hearted Pāṇḍava chariot-warriors, fully armed and ready—left them at the very front of the fight and, with great speed, returned again to Dhanañjaya (Arjuna). The moment reveals Bhīṣma’s tactical urgency and his fixed engagement with Arjuna, the pivotal warrior whose presence could decisively shape both the battle’s outcome and its moral weight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined prioritization of duty in war: even when many worthy opponents stand before him, Bhīṣma chooses the most consequential engagement. Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma as strategic responsibility—directing one’s effort where it most affects the course of the conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, seeing the armed and noble Pāṇḍava chariot-fighters at the battle-front, does not remain to fight them then; instead he swiftly leaves them and returns toward Arjuna (Dhanañjaya/Pārtha), indicating a tactical shift and a renewed focus on confronting Arjuna.