Shloka 50
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
युधिष्ठिरं तु कौन्तेयं महत्या सेनया वृतम् । भीष्माभिमुखमायान्तं भारद्वाजो न्यवारयत्
yudhiṣṭhiraṃ tu kaunteyaṃ mahatyā senayā vṛtam | bhīṣmābhimukham āyāntaṃ bhāradvājo nyavārayat || (tatra yuddham abhūd ghoraṃ tayoḥ puruṣasiṃhayoḥ |)
Dijo Sañjaya: Al ver a Yudhiṣṭhira, hijo de Kuntī, rodeado por un vasto ejército, avanzar de frente hacia Bhishma, Droṇācārya (hijo de Bharadvāja) le cerró el paso. Allí, entre aquellos dos hombres como leones, se alzó una batalla feroz, que muestra cómo, en la guerra, incluso el más atento al dharma es empujado a la violencia por el deber y las circunstancias.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of dharma in wartime: even a ruler devoted to righteousness (Yudhiṣṭhira) must engage in violence when bound by kṣatriya duty and the larger demands of protecting order and fulfilling responsibility.
Yudhiṣṭhira, backed by a large force, advances toward Bhīṣma. Droṇa intervenes and halts him, leading to a fierce duel-like engagement between these two eminent warriors.