Shloka 52
वार्यमाण: स कृष्णेन पार्थेन च महात्मना । भीमेन चक्ररक्षाभ्याम श्वत्थाम्ना कृपेण च,उस समय समस्त सेनाके लोग चिल्ला-चिल्लाकर सात्यकिकी निन्दा कर रहे थे। परंतु सात्यकिकी मनोदशा बहुत बुरी थी। भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण तथा महात्मा अर्जुन भी उन्हें रोक रहे थे। भीमसेन, चक्ररक्षक युधामन्यु और उत्तमौजा, अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य, कर्ण, वृषसेन तथा सिंधुराज जयद्रथ भी उन्हें मना करते रहे, किंतु समस्त सैनिकोंके चीखने-चिल्लानेपर भी सात्यकिने उस व्रतधारी भूरिश्रवाका वध कर ही डाला
vāryamāṇaḥ sa kṛṣṇena pārthena ca mahātmanā | bhīmena cakrarakṣābhyām aśvatthāmnā kṛpeṇa ca ||
Sañjaya said: Though he was being restrained by Kṛṣṇa and by the great-souled Pārtha (Arjuna), and also by Bhīma, by the two protectors of the chariot-wheel, and by Aśvatthāman and Kṛpa, he did not desist. The scene underscores a moral crisis on the battlefield: even when eminent warriors urge restraint, the momentum of wrath and the pressure of public outcry can drive a fighter toward an act that will be judged against dharma—especially when the opponent is under a vow and has been rendered vulnerable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of restraint in war: even when authoritative figures urge a warrior to stop, anger and factional pressure can override conscience. It frames the coming act as one that will be evaluated against dharma, especially regarding the treatment of a vulnerable or vow-bound opponent.
In the Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki confrontation, Sātyaki is being physically and verbally restrained by major warriors—Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, the two wheel-guards (Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā), Aśvatthāman, and Kṛpa—yet he persists, leading into the controversial killing of Bhūriśravas described in the surrounding passage.