Shloka 31
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
“दुःशासन! तुम शीघ्र ही भीष्मकी रक्षा करनेवाले रथोंको जोतकर तैयार कराओ। अपने पास कुल बाईस सेनाएँ हैं। उन सबको भीष्मकी रक्षामें ही नियुक्त कर दो
sañjaya uvāca — duḥśāsana! tvaṃ śīghram eva bhīṣmasya rakṣaṇaṃ kurvantaḥ rathān yojayitvā sajjān kāraya. tava samīpe kuladvāviṃśatiḥ senāḥ santi; tāḥ sarvā bhīṣmasya rakṣāyām eva niyujya.
Sanjaya said: “Duhshasana, quickly have the chariots that will protect Bhishma yoked and made ready. You have a total of twenty-two divisions at hand—assign every one of them solely to Bhishma’s protection.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights wartime responsibility and hierarchy: when a key elder and commander is vulnerable, the immediate duty is coordinated protection and disciplined deployment of forces, subordinating personal ambition to the stability of the army and respect for senior leadership.
Sanjaya reports an urgent command directed to Duhshasana: to ready protective chariots and concentrate all available twenty-two military divisions around Bhishma, indicating a tactical shift to safeguard the Kaurava commander amid escalating battle pressure.