Shloka 30
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
इज्धितेन तु तउज्ञात्वा गाड़ेयेन विचिन्तितम् । दुर्योधनो महाराज दुःशासनमचोदयत्,महाराज! गंगानन्दन भीष्मने क्या सोचा है? इस बातको संकेतसे समझकर दुर्योधनने दुःशासनसे कहा--
iddhitena tu tau jñātvā gāḍheyena vicintitam | duryodhano mahārāja duḥśāsanam acodayat ||
Sañjaya said: Understanding, by a subtle sign, what the son of the Gaṅgā (Bhīṣma) had firmly resolved in his mind, King Duryodhana urged Duḥśāsana to act—an indication of how the Kaurava leadership watched Bhīṣma’s intentions and moved quickly to exploit them in the unfolding war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner intention (vicintita) becomes consequential in public action: leaders read signals, infer motives, and mobilize others accordingly. Ethically, it warns that power can turn perception and strategy into instruments that accelerate conflict rather than restrain it.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, having grasped from a hint what Bhīṣma had decided, immediately prompted Duḥśāsana—showing the Kauravas’ readiness to act based on Bhīṣma’s perceived resolve in the battle context.