Shloka 46
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
हित्वा पार्थ रणे तूर्ण भीष्मस्य रथमाव्रजत् । अगाधे मज्जतस्तस्य द्वीपो भीष्मो5भवत् तदा,इस प्रकार महामना पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनके द्वारा पीड़ित होकर आपका पुत्र दुःशासन युद्धमें अर्जुनको छोड़कर तुरंत ही भीष्मके रथपर जा बैठा। उस समय अगाध समुद्रमें डूबते हुए दुःशासनके लिये भीष्मजी द्वीप हो गये
sañjaya uvāca | hitvā pārtha raṇe tūrṇaṁ bhīṣmasya ratham āvrajat | agādhe majjatas tasya dvīpo bhīṣmo 'bhavat tadā ||
Sañjaya said: Leaving Arjuna on the battlefield, Duḥśāsana quickly went and took refuge on Bhīṣma’s chariot. At that moment, for Duḥśāsana—sinking as it were in a fathomless sea—Bhīṣma became like an island, a saving support. The scene underscores how, amid the moral and physical peril of war, a warrior seeks protection under a superior’s strength and authority, even when his own conduct has helped bring about his distress.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of an island saving a drowning man to show how, in crisis, one seeks shelter under a stronger protector. Ethically, it also hints at the irony that those who act wrongly may still depend on elders and leaders for rescue, highlighting responsibility and the consequences that drive one to seek refuge.
Duḥśāsana, harassed and pressured by Arjuna in battle, withdraws from that engagement and hastens to Bhīṣma’s chariot for protection. Bhīṣma becomes his immediate support, like an island to someone sinking in a deep sea.