Shloka 45
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
ते रथै: सुसम्प्रयुक्तिर्दन्तिभिश्न महारथा: । परिवार्य रणे भीष्म॑ दंशिता: समवस्थिता:,वे समस्त कौरव महारथी सुशिक्षित रथों और हाथियोंसे भीष्मको घेरकर कवच आदिसे सुसज्जित हो युद्धके लिये खड़े हो गये
te rathaiḥ susamprayuktir dantibhiś ca mahārathāḥ | parivārya raṇe bhīṣmaṃ daṃśitāḥ samavasthitāḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces aquellos grandes guerreros, con carros bien uncidos y con elefantes de guerra, rodearon a Bhīṣma en el campo de batalla. Acorazados y provistos de todo, tomaron sus posiciones, listos para el combate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of organized duty in war: warriors, properly equipped and disciplined, gather around their commander. It reflects how collective resolve and loyalty to leadership operate within the chosen side’s understanding of kṣatriya-dharma, even when the larger moral stakes of the war remain complex.
Sanjaya describes the Kaurava elite warriors assembling with chariots and elephants and forming a protective encirclement around Bhishma on the battlefield. Armoured and ready, they take their stations for the coming engagement.