Shloka 27
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
तमापतन्तं महता जवेन शिखण्डिनं भीष्ममभिद्रवन्तम् । निवारयामास हि शल्य एन- मस्त्रेण घोरेण सुदुर्जयेन
tam āpatantaṁ mahatā javena śikhaṇḍinaṁ bhīṣmam abhidravantam | nivārayāmāsa hi śalya enaṁ astreṇa ghoreṇa sudurjayena ||
Sañjaya dit : «Voyant Śikhaṇḍin fondre avec une grande vitesse et se ruer vers Bhīṣma, Śalya l’arrêta, le contenant au moyen d’une arme terrible, d’une puissance presque irrésistible.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma in practice: warriors act swiftly to counter threats, protect key leaders, and uphold their side’s strategic responsibilities. It also reflects the ethical tension of war—valor and duty expressed through restraint and counteraction rather than uncontrolled violence.
Śikhaṇḍin charges at Bhīṣma with great speed. Śalya intervenes and stops Śikhaṇḍin by deploying a formidable, hard-to-resist weapon (astra), preventing the immediate assault on Bhīṣma.