Shloka 21
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
अभिद्रुतों महाभागो राक्षसेन महात्मना । एतद्धि व: परं कृत्यं सर्वेषां न: परंतपा:,“जान पड़ता है महाभाग दुर्योधन उस महाकाय राक्षसके आक्रमणका शिकार हो रहा है। शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले वीरो! आपके तथा हम सब लोगोंके लिये यही सर्वोत्तम कृत्य है!
sañjaya uvāca | abhidruto mahābhāgo rākṣasena mahātmanā | etaddhi vaḥ paraṁ kṛtyaṁ sarveṣāṁ naḥ parantapāḥ |
Sañjaya said: “The illustrious Duryodhana is being fiercely assailed by that great-souled, formidable Rākṣasa. O tormentors of foes, for you—and indeed for all of us—this is the highest duty at this moment: to act decisively in response.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a battlefield crisis, the immediate dharma is timely, collective action: recognizing the urgent threat to one’s leader and responding without delay, framing it as the ‘param kṛtyam’—the foremost obligation for the group.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana is being pressed hard by a powerful Rākṣasa. He urges the warriors addressed as ‘parantapāḥ’ to treat rescuing/supporting Duryodhana as the most urgent and best course of action for everyone on their side.