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 |)
Sañjaya dit : Voyant Yudhiṣṭhira, fils de Kuntī, entouré d’une vaste armée, s’avancer droit vers Bhīṣma, Droṇācārya (fils de Bharadvāja) lui barra la route. Là, entre ces deux hommes pareils à des lions, s’éleva un combat farouche — rappel que, dans la guerre, même le plus attaché au dharma est contraint à la violence par le devoir et les circonstances.
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.