Shloka 14
(मम माधव सैन्येषु वध्यमानेषु तेन वै । कथं योत्स्याम दुर्धर्ष श्रेयो मे5त्र विधीयताम् ।। त्वमेव गतिरस्माकं नान्यां गतिमुपास्महे | न युद्ध रोचते महां भीष्मेण सह माधव । हन्ति भीष्मो महावीरो मम सैन्यं च संयुगे ।।) “माधव! इनके द्वारा जब हमारी सेनाएँ मारी जा रही हैं, उस अवस्थामें इन दुर्धर्ष वीर भीष्मके साथ हमलोग कैसे युद्ध करें? यहाँ जिस प्रकार हमारा भला हो, वह उपाय कीजिये। माधव! आप ही हमारे आश्रय हैं। हम दूसरे किसीका सहारा नहीं लेते। हमें भीष्मजीके साथ युद्ध करना अच्छा नहीं लगता है। इधर महावीर भीष्म युद्धस्थलमें हमारी सेनाका संहार करते चले जा रहे हैं। न चैवैनं महात्मानमुत्सहामो निरीक्षितुम् | लेलिहामान सैन्येषु प्रवृद्धमिव पावकम्,'ये प्रजजलित अग्निके समान बाणोंकी लपटोंसे हमारी सेनामें सबको चाटते (भस्म करते) जा रहे हैं, हमलोग इन महात्माकी ओर देख भी नहीं पा रहे हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
mama mādhava sainyeṣu vadhyamāneṣu tena vai |
kathaṃ yotsyāma durdharṣa śreyo me 'tra vidhīyatām ||
tvameva gatirasmākaṃ nānyāṃ gatimupāsmahe |
na yuddhaṃ rocate mahāṃ bhīṣmeṇa saha mādhava |
hanti bhīṣmo mahāvīro mama sainyaṃ ca saṃyuge ||
na caivainaṃ mahātmānamutsahāmo nirīkṣitum |
lelihāmānaṃ sainyeṣu pravṛddhamiva pāvakam ||
Sañjaya said: “Mādhava, while our forces are being cut down by him, how are we to fight that unassailable Bhīṣma? Decide here what would truly be best for me. You alone are our refuge; we seek no other shelter. I do not find it right to wage war against Bhīṣma, Mādhava. That great hero Bhīṣma keeps destroying my army in the battle. We do not even have the heart to look upon that great-souled one as he rages among the troops like a blazing fire, licking up everything with the tongues of his arrows.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: even in a just or necessary war, fighting revered elders like Bhīṣma can feel ethically repugnant. It also shows the psychological need for a higher guide—addressing Mādhava as the sole refuge—when one’s own judgment is shaken by fear, reverence, and the scale of destruction.
Sañjaya reports the crisis caused by Bhīṣma’s overwhelming prowess on the battlefield. As Bhīṣma devastates the opposing troops like a raging fire, the speaker confesses reluctance to fight him and asks Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) to determine the best course of action, acknowledging him as their only support.