Shloka 1
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
[दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके २ ३ श*लोक मिलाकर कुल ४५ ६ “लोक हैं।] 30:22 धन हि कमी अष्टनवतितमोब् ध्याय: भीष्मका दुर्योधनको अर्जुनका पराक्रम बताना और भयंकर युद्धके लिये प्रतिज्ञा करना तथा प्रात:काल दुर्योधनके द्वारा भीष्मकी रक्षाकी व्यवस्था संजय उवाच वाक् शल्यैस्तव पुत्रेण सो5तिविद्धों महामना: । दुःखेन महता<5<विष्टो नोवाचाप्रियमण्वपि,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! आपके पुत्रद्वारा वाग्बाणोंसे अत्यन्त विद्ध होकर महामना भीष्मको महान् दुःख हुआ; तथापि उन्होंने उससे कोई किंचिन्मात्र भी अप्रिय वचन नहीं कहा
sañjaya uvāca | vāk-śalyais tava putreṇa so 'tividdho mahāmanāḥ | duḥkhena mahatāviṣṭo novācāpriyam aṇv api ||
Sañjaya said: O great king, though the high-souled Bhīṣma was pierced again and again by the sharp barbs of speech from your son, and was overwhelmed by intense sorrow, he did not utter even the slightest word that was unpleasant. The scene underscores Bhīṣma’s disciplined restraint: even when wounded by insult, he refuses to abandon propriety and self-control amid the moral strain of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even under provocation and humiliation, a dharmic person restrains speech. Bhīṣma’s refusal to respond with harsh words models kṣānti (forbearance) and the ethical discipline of vāg-niyama—governing one’s speech so that grief does not become cruelty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has wounded Bhīṣma with cutting remarks. Bhīṣma feels deep pain but does not retaliate verbally, setting the tone for the chapter’s focus on Duryodhana’s agitation, Bhīṣma’s composure, and preparations for fierce battle.