Shloka 30
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
स्वयं हि मृत्युर्विहित: सत्यसंधेन संयुगे । भवानुपेक्षां कुरुते शिष्यत्वादर्जुनस्य हि,युद्धस्थलमें सत्यप्रतिज्ञ भीष्मने स्वयं ही अपनी मृत्यु स्वीकार कर ली और आप भी हमारी इसलिये उपेक्षा करते हैं कि अर्जुन आपके प्रिय शिष्य हैं
svayaṁ hi mṛtyur vihitaḥ satyasaṁdhena saṁyuge | bhavān upekṣāṁ kurute śiṣyatvād arjunasya hi ||
Duryodhana said: “Indeed, in the midst of battle, Bhīṣma—steadfast in his vow of truth—has as it were ordained his own death. And you, for your part, show neglect toward our cause, precisely because Arjuna is your beloved disciple.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension in war: personal bonds (the guru–śiṣya tie with Arjuna) can conflict with declared duty to one’s side. It also underscores how unwavering commitment to truth and vows (satyasaṁdhi) can lead a warrior to accept—even ‘ordain’—his own death as the ethical cost of integrity.
Duryodhana, frustrated by setbacks, complains that Bhīṣma has effectively accepted his own death through his truth-bound resolve in battle, and he insinuates that the commander (addressed honorifically as bhavān, contextually Droṇa) is not fully committed to the Kaurava cause because of affection for Arjuna, his foremost disciple.