Shloka 27
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
तमापतन्तं महता जवेन शिखण्डिनं भीष्ममभिद्रवन्तम् । निवारयामास हि शल्य एन- मस्त्रेण घोरेण सुदुर्जयेन,शिखण्डीको बड़े वेगसे आते और भीष्मपर धावा करते देख शल्यने अत्यन्त दुर्जय एवं भयंकर अस्त्रसे उसे रोक दिया!
tam āpatantaṁ mahatā javena śikhaṇḍinaṁ bhīṣmam abhidravantam | nivārayāmāsa hi śalya enaṁ astreṇa ghoreṇa sudurjayena ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Śikhaṇḍin rushing forward at great speed and charging toward Bhīṣma, Śalya checked him, restraining him with a dreadful weapon that was exceedingly hard to overcome. The scene underscores how, in the chaos of war, even a single warrior’s advance is met by counter-force, and how strategy and protection of one’s commander become immediate duties on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma in practice: warriors act swiftly to counter threats, protect key leaders, and uphold their side’s strategic responsibilities. It also reflects the ethical tension of war—valor and duty expressed through restraint and counteraction rather than uncontrolled violence.
Śikhaṇḍin charges at Bhīṣma with great speed. Śalya intervenes and stops Śikhaṇḍin by deploying a formidable, hard-to-resist weapon (astra), preventing the immediate assault on Bhīṣma.