वयं वध्यामहे चापि शत्रुभिस्तमसावृते । नाधिगच्छाम शान्तिं च भयात् त्रायस्व नः प्रभो
bhīṣma uvāca | vayaṁ vadhyāmahe cāpi śatrubhis tamasāvṛte | nādhigacchāma śāntiṁ ca bhayāt trāyasva naḥ prabho ||
Bhishma berkata: “Terselubung kegelapan, kami dibunuh oleh musuh. Karena takut, kami sama sekali tak memperoleh ketenteraman. Wahai Tuan, selamatkanlah kami.”
भीष्म उवाच
When fear and confusion (symbolized by darkness) overwhelm one’s capacity for peace, the dharmic response is to seek rightful protection and guidance rather than act blindly; the verse models humble refuge-seeking in a moment of moral and existential peril.
A speaker voices a collective distress: surrounded by darkness and threatened by enemies, they are being killed and cannot find peace; they therefore plead with a powerful protector (“prabho”) to save them.