Shloka 13
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 2: Karṇa’s lament, vow, and battle preparation after Bhīṣma’s fall
हतप्रधानं त्विदमार्तरूप॑ परैर्हतोत्साहमनाथमद्य वै । मया कुरूणां परिपाल्यमाहवे बल॑ यथा तेन महात्मना तथा,“आज यह कौरवदल अपने प्रधान सेनापतिके मारे जानेसे अनाथ एवं अत्यन्त पीड़ित हो रहा है। शत्रुओंने इसके उत्साहको नष्ट कर दिया है। इस समय संग्रामभूमिमें मुझे इस कौरवसेनाकी उसी प्रकार रक्षा करनी है, जैसे महात्मा भीष्म किया करते थे
hatapradhānaṃ tvidam ārtarūpaṃ parair hatotsāham anātham adya vai | mayā kurūṇāṃ paripālyam āhave balaṃ yathā tena mahātmanā tathā ||
Sañjaya said: “Today this Kuru host, bereft of its chief commander, has fallen into a pitiable state—its spirit broken by the enemy and left as though without a protector. Now, on this battlefield, it is for me to safeguard the Kuru army in the same manner as that great-souled Bhīṣma used to do.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-duty as steadfast protection of one’s forces even amid collapse: when leadership is lost and morale shattered, responsibility shifts to the next capable guardian, who must uphold order and courage by emulating exemplary predecessors like Bhīṣma.
After the fall of the Kauravas’ principal protector (Bhīṣma), the Kuru army is described as distressed and dispirited. Sañjaya reports that the burden of safeguarding the Kaurava host in battle now lies with the new commander, who must protect it as Bhīṣma once did.