Shloka 29
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
भीष्मो5पि समरे राजन् पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम् | कालयामास बलवान् पाल: पशुगणानिव,राजन! तदनन्तर बलवान भीष्म भी संग्रामभूमिमें पाण्डव-सेनाको उसी प्रकार खदेड़ने लगे, जैसे चरवाहा पशुओंको हाँकता है
bhīṣmo 'pi samare rājan pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm | kālayāmāsa balavān pālaḥ paśugaṇān iva ||
Sañjaya said: O King, even Bhīṣma—mighty in battle—drove back the Pāṇḍavas’ army on the field, herding it as a cowherd drives a flock of cattle. The image underscores the overwhelming force and command with which Bhīṣma pressed the fight, reducing the opposing host to a driven mass despite the moral weight of kinship and duty that shadows this war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer martial prowess and command can dominate the battlefield, using a herdsman simile to show disciplined control over a mass of fighters. Ethically, it also hints at the tension between duty in war (kṣatriya-dharma) and the tragic reality that even revered elders like Bhīṣma must press violence against their own kin under the demands of allegiance and circumstance.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, fighting for the Kauravas, forcefully drives back the Pāṇḍavas’ army in battle, as a cowherd drives a herd of cattle—indicating the Pāṇḍava host is being pushed and scattered under Bhīṣma’s advance.