Shloka 28
आत्मदोष-उपदेशः तथा भीम-धृष्टद्युम्नयोः संयोगः
Self-Causation Counsel and the Bhīma–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Convergence
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा कलिज्रैर्बहुभिवृत: । पुरस्कृत्य रणे भीष्म पाण्डवानभ्यवर्तत,उस समय बहुसंख्यक कलिंगोंसे घिरे हुए राजा दुर्योधनने युद्धमें भीष्मको आगे करके पाण्डवोंपर आक्रमण किया
tato duryodhano rājā kaliṅgair bahubhir vṛtaḥ | puraskṛtya raṇe bhīṣmaṃ pāṇḍavān abhyavartata ||
Then King Duryodhana, surrounded by many warriors of Kaliṅga, advanced against the Pāṇḍavas, placing Bhīṣma at the forefront of the battle. The scene underscores a deliberate reliance on the most venerable and formidable elder as a shield and spearhead, intensifying the moral tension of a war where authority and kinship are pressed into service for ambition.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power often seeks legitimacy and strength by placing revered authority at the front. Ethically, it points to the tension between venerable duty and the purposes it is made to serve—an implicit reminder that strategic success does not automatically confer moral rightness.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, backed by many Kaliṅga fighters, advances to attack the Pāṇḍavas, appointing Bhīṣma as the foremost leader in the fighting line.