Shloka 3
भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene
भीष्मेण सहिता: सर्वे पुत्रैश्न॒ तव भारत । अग्रतः सर्वसैन्यानां व्यूहस्य प्रमुखे स्थिता:
sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmeṇa sahitāḥ sarve putraiś ca tava bhārata | agrataḥ sarvasainyānāṁ vyūhasya pramukhe sthitāḥ | kṛpācāryaḥ kṛtavarmā mahārathaḥ śaibyaḥ śakuniḥ sindhurājaḥ jayadrathaḥ tathā kāmbojarājaḥ sudakṣiṇaḥ—ete sarve nareśā bhīṣmeṇa tava putraiś ca saha samasta-senāyāḥ purataḥ vyūhasya pramukha-bhāge tiṣṭhanti |
Sañjaya dijo: Oh Bharata, todos tus hijos, junto con Bhīṣma, se hallaban en la vanguardia de todo el ejército, en la parte más adelantada de la formación. Allí estaban también Kripa, el preceptor; Kṛtavarman; el gran guerrero de carro Śaibya; Śakuni; Jayadratha, rey de Sindhu; y Sudakṣiṇa, rey de Kamboja. Estos soberanos, alineados con Bhīṣma y con tus hijos, ocuparon su puesto a la cabeza de la hueste, donde el mando y la carga de la violencia venidera se soportan de modo más directo.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that those who stand at the head of an army—especially elders, teachers, and kings—bear heightened moral responsibility. Strategic placement is not merely tactical; it signals who assumes leadership in initiating and sustaining the violence of war, thereby intensifying the ethical weight of their choices.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Bhishma, together with Dhritarashtra’s sons and key allied rulers and warriors (Kripa, Kritavarman, Shaibya, Shakuni, Jayadratha, Sudakshina), has taken position at the very front and leading section of the Kaurava battle-array, indicating readiness and command at the opening of engagement.