Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तस्माद्‌ भीष्मो रक्षितव्यो विशेषेणेति मे मति: । शिखण्डिनो वधे यत्ता: सर्वे तिष्ठन्तु मामका:,“इसलिये मेरा विचार है कि इस समय हमें विशेष रूपसे भीष्मजीकी रक्षामें ही तत्पर रहना चाहिये। मेरे सारे सैनिक शिखण्डीको मार डालनेका प्रयत्न करें

Transliteration

tasmād bhīṣmo rakṣitavyo viśeṣeṇeti me matiḥ | śikhaṇḍino vadhe yattāḥ sarve tiṣṭhantu māmakāḥ ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「ゆえに、いまはとりわけビーシュマを守るべきだ、これが私の確かな判断である。我が軍の者は皆、陣を固め、シカンディン討伐に心を定めよ。」

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

भीष्मःBhishma

रक्षितव्यःto be protected/must be protected

विशेषेणespecially/in particular

इतिthus/that (quotative)

मेmy/of me

मतिःopinion/idea

शिखण्डिनःof Shikhandin

वधेin the killing/slaying

यत्ताःengaged/intent/striving

सर्वेall

तिष्ठन्तुlet (them) stand/remain/be

मामकाःmy (men)/belonging to me

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Bhishma

Shikhandin

Kaurava army (māmakāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights wartime prudence: safeguarding a pivotal leader is treated as a moral and strategic necessity, while identifying and neutralizing the specific factor that threatens him (Shikhandin) becomes the army’s focused duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a tactical conclusion for the Kauravas: Bhishma, as the key commander, must be specially protected, and all Kaurava fighters should concentrate their effort on killing Shikhandin, whose presence is understood to endanger Bhishma.