Shloka 9
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
भीष्पप्रेप्सुं रणे यान्तं वृष॑ व्याप्रशिशुर्यथा । महाराज! चित्रसेनने भीष्मके पास पहुँचनेकी इच्छासे रणमें जाते हुए चेकितानका सामना किया, मानो बाघका बच्चा बैलका सामना कर रहा हो ।। ८ है || धृष्टद्युम्न॑ महाराज भीष्मान्तिकमुपागतम्
sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmaprepsuṁ raṇe yāntaṁ vṛṣaṁ vyāprāśiśur yathā | mahārāja citrasenena bhīṣmāntikam upāgatasya cekitānasya samāgamaḥ, yathā vyāghraśiśur vṛṣabham abhimukhaṁ gacchet ||
Sañjaya said: O King, as Cekitāna advanced into the battle eager to reach Bhīṣma, Citrasena confronted him—like a tiger-cub challenging a bull. The scene underscores the moral tension of war: valor and resolve surge forward, yet youthful or lesser strength risks ruin when it rushes against a seasoned, formidable power.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata: courage and determination are admirable, but in war they must be tempered by discernment. The simile of a tiger-cub facing a bull suggests that rash zeal, when mismatched against superior strength, can lead to needless destruction—an implicit caution within the celebration of martial valor.
Cekitāna advances on the battlefield with the aim of reaching Bhīṣma. Citrasena intercepts and confronts him. Sañjaya describes the encounter with a vivid comparison: it is like a tiger-cub taking on a bull, emphasizing the imbalance and the peril of the clash.