Shloka 17
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
भारत! एक साथ आये हुए शत्रुमर्दन बूढ़े नरेश विराट और द्रुपदको क्रोधमें भरे हुए अश्व॒त्थामाने रोक दिया ।। तथा पाण्डुसुतं ज्येष्ठ भीष्मस्य वधकाड्क्षिणम् । भारद्वाजो रणे यत्तो धर्मपुत्रमवारयत्,भीष्मके वधकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले ज्येष्ठ पाण्डव धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरको युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यने यत्नपूर्वक रोका
bhārata! eka-sātha āye hue śatru-mardana vṛddha nareśa virāṭa aura drupada ko krodha meṃ bhare hue aśvatthāmā ne rok diyā. tathā pāṇḍu-sutaṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ bhīṣmasya vadha-kāṅkṣiṇam | bhāradvājo raṇe yatto dharma-putram avārayat ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, the aged kings Virāṭa and Drupada—both famed as slayers of foes—had advanced together in wrath; Aśvatthāmā checked them. Likewise, in the thick of battle, Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), exerting himself, restrained Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest son of Pāṇḍu, who was intent on the death of Bhīṣma. The scene underscores how, amid righteous fury and strategic necessity, senior warriors are deliberately held back or opposed, shaping the course of dharma-bound war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a dharma-framed war, raw anger and heroic impulse must be governed by strategy and restraint; senior warriors deliberately check opponents to protect their side and to control the battle’s moral and tactical trajectory.
Virāṭa and Drupada advance together in anger, but Aśvatthāmā blocks them. At the same time, Droṇa (called Bhāradvāja) actively restrains Yudhiṣṭhira, who is pressing forward with the aim of bringing about Bhīṣma’s death.