Shloka 46
एते त्वां कुरव: सर्वे द्वीपमासाद्य संयुगे । धिषछिता: पुरुषव्यात्र त्वत्त: शरणकाड्क्षिण:,'पुरुषसिंह! इस समुद्र-जैसे युद्धस्थलमें तुम द्वीपके समान हो। ये समस्त कौरव तुमसे शरण पानेकी आशा रखकर, तुम्हारे ही आश्रयमें आकर खड़े हुए हैं
ete tvāṃ kuravaḥ sarve dvīpam āsādya saṃyuge | dhiṣṭhitāḥ puruṣavyāghra tvattaḥ śaraṇakāṅkṣiṇaḥ ||
Arjuna said: “O tiger among men, in this ocean-like battlefield you are like an island. All these Kurus, seeking refuge from you, have come and stand here depending upon you alone.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: when many depend on a single champion for protection, that person becomes a ‘refuge’ for others, and their choices carry amplified responsibility for the fate of those who have entrusted themselves to them.
Arjuna addresses a foremost warrior (praised as ‘tiger among men’) and points out that the Kaurava forces have gathered around him in the battle, relying on him as their main support—like people clinging to an island for safety in a vast, dangerous sea.