Shloka 3
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
तस्य कार्य त्वया वीर रक्षणं सुमहात्मन:
tasya kāryaṁ tvayā vīra rakṣaṇaṁ sumahātmanaḥ |
संजय बोले—वीर! तुम्हारा कर्तव्य है कि उस महात्मा पितामह भीष्म की रक्षा करो। यदि युद्ध में पितामह भीष्म सुरक्षित रहे, तो वे विजय के लिए प्रयत्न करते हुए रणभूमि में पाण्डवों सहित पाञ्चालों का संहार कर डालेंगे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames protection of a key elder-warrior as a warrior’s obligation (kārya), showing how dharma in a royal-war context can be expressed as loyalty to one’s side and strategic safeguarding of a decisive leader—while also hinting at the grave ethical weight of seeking victory through large-scale destruction.
Sañjaya reports counsel urging a warrior to ensure Bhīṣma’s safety. The reasoning is tactical: if Bhīṣma is kept secure on the battlefield, he will press for victory and is expected to devastate the opposing forces, specifically the Pāṇḍavas and their Pāñcāla allies.