Shloka 42
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
मातुलः शकुनि: शल्य: कृपो द्रोणो विविंशति: । यत्ता रक्षन्तु गाड़ेयं तस्मिन् गुप्ते ध्रुवोी जय:,(अतः उनकी रक्षाके लिये सारी आवश्यक व्यवस्था करो।) मामा शकुनि, शल्य, कृपाचार्य, द्रोणाचार्य और विविंशति--ये सब लोग सावधान होकर गंगानन्दन भीष्मकी रक्षा करें। उनके सुरक्षित रहनेपर हमारी विजय निश्चित है”
mātulaḥ śakuniḥ śalyaḥ kṛpo droṇo viviṁśatiḥ | yattā rakṣantu gāṅgeyaṁ tasmin guptē dhruvo jayaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “Let my maternal uncle Shakuni, Shalya, Kripa, Drona, and Vivimshati remain vigilant and firmly protect Bhishma, the son of the Ganga. If he is kept secure, our victory is assured.” The verse underscores a wartime ethic in which the fate of an army is tied to the protection of its foremost commander, making strategic guardianship a decisive moral and practical duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of war and governance, safeguarding the principal leader is treated as a paramount duty because collective success and stability depend on disciplined protection of the one who anchors the army’s morale and strategy.
Sanjaya reports a directive that key Kaurava warriors—Shakuni, Shalya, Kripa, Drona, and Vivimshati—should stay vigilant and protect Bhishma (Gangeya), asserting that the Kauravas’ victory is certain if Bhishma remains secure.