Shloka 14
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
सात्यकिं समरे यान्तं तव पुत्रो न्न्यवारयत्,(भीष्मस्य वधमिच्छन्तं पाण्डवप्रीतिकाम्यया ।) पाण्डवोंकी प्रसन्नताके लिये भीष्मका वध चाहनेवाले सात्यकिको युद्धके लिये जाते देख आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने रोका
sātyakiṁ samare yāntaṁ tava putro nyavārayat | bhīṣmasya vadham icchantaṁ pāṇḍava-prīti-kāmyayā ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Sātyaki setting out for battle—intent on Bhīṣma’s death, desiring to win the Pāṇḍavas’ satisfaction—your son (Duryodhana) tried to restrain him. The moment highlights how personal loyalties and the pursuit of approval can sharpen the aims of war, turning strategic opposition into a morally charged contest of allegiance and duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how motives in war are often driven by allegiance and the desire to please one’s chosen side; such motives can intensify violence and reshape ‘duty’ into a contest of loyalty, raising ethical questions about intention (bhāva) behind action.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki advances into battle with the aim of killing Bhīṣma to gratify the Pāṇḍavas, and Duryodhana attempts to stop or check Sātyaki’s advance.