Shloka 9
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
रथं च वारयामास कुज्जरेण सुतस्य ते । मार्गमावारितं दृष्टवा राज्ञा वड्भरेन धीमता
rathaṃ ca vārayāmāsa kujjareṇa sutasya te | mārgam āvāritaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājñā vaḍbhareṇa dhīmatā ||
Sañjaya said: The wise king Vaḍbhara, seeing that the way had been blocked, halted your son’s chariot by means of a kujjara (a goad/implement). In the press of battle, this act of stopping the chariot signals a deliberate intervention—an attempt to control movement and prevent a rash advance, where prudence and command momentarily restrain martial momentum.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid warfare, intelligent leadership may require restraint—checking impulsive movement when circumstances (like a blocked route) demand prudence. The verse highlights controlled action over reckless advance.
Sañjaya reports that a wise king named Vaḍbhara, noticing the route was obstructed, intervenes to stop Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son’s chariot using a controlling implement (kujjara), indicating a tactical halt in the battlefield movement.