Shloka 14
तौ तु दृष्टवा महाराज भीष्मबाणप्रपीडितौ । जगाम परमां चिन्तां भीष्मस्य वधकाडुक्षया,महाराज! नकुल और सहदेवको भीष्मके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित देख युधिष्ठिर अपने मनमें भीष्मके वधकी इच्छा लेकर गहन विचार करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | tau tu dṛṣṭvā mahārāja bhīṣmabāṇaprapīḍitau | jagāma paramāṃ cintāṃ bhīṣmasya vadhakāṅkṣayā ||
Sanjaya said: O King, seeing Nakula and Sahadeva grievously afflicted by Bhishma’s arrows, Yudhishthira was seized by profound anxiety; with the desire to bring about Bhishma’s fall, he began to deliberate deeply.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of righteous warfare: compassion for suffering kin and the duty to protect one’s side can push even a dharmic leader into grave deliberation about harming a revered elder. It frames strategy as inseparable from moral consequence.
Bhishma’s fierce archery has badly afflicted Nakula and Sahadeva. Observing this, Yudhishthira becomes deeply troubled and begins intense reflection, motivated by the wish to neutralize or bring about the fall of Bhishma, whose presence is decisive on the battlefield.