Shloka 3
भीष्मव्यूहदर्शनम् / Viewing Bhīṣma’s Battle Array and Arjuna’s Reassurance
धनंजय कथं शक््यमस्माभिरययोंद्धुमाहवे । धार्तराष्ट्रमहाबाहो येषां योद्धा पितामह:,“महाबाहु धनंजय! जिनके प्रधान योद्धा पितामह भीष्म हैं, उन धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रोंके साथ हम समरभूमिमें कैसे युद्ध कर सकते हैं?
sañjaya uvāca |
dhanañjaya kathaṁ śakyam asmābhir ayodhyum āhave |
dhārtarāṣṭra-mahābāho yeṣāṁ yoddhā pitāmahaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô Dhanañjaya, comment pourrions-nous combattre en cette bataille ? Ô toi aux bras puissants, comment ferions-nous la guerre aux fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, dont le premier des guerriers est le grand-père lui-même, Bhīṣma ?»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between kṣatriya duty to fight a just war and the moral weight of fighting revered elders. It frames the battlefield not only as a military contest but as a test of dharma, where respect, loyalty, and righteousness collide.
Sanjaya addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), voicing the difficulty of fighting the Kauravas because their leading champion is Bhīṣma, the revered grandsire. The statement highlights the psychological and ethical obstacle posed by Bhīṣma’s presence at the head of the opposing army.