Shloka 11
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
तथा द्रौणिं महेष्वासं शारद्वतमथापि च । गोग्रहे जितवान् पूर्व पर्याप्तं॑ तन्निदर्शनम्,'पूर्वकालमें उसी गोग्रहके अवसरपर पाण्डु-कुमारने महाधनुर्धर अश्वत्थामा तथा कृपाचार्यको भी परास्त कर दिया था। यह दृष्टान्त उन्हें समझनेके लिये पर्याप्त है
tathā drauṇiṁ maheṣvāsaṁ śāradvatam athāpi ca | gograhe jitavān pūrvaṁ paryāptaṁ tan nidarśanam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Demikian juga, dalam serbuan lembu pada masa dahulu, putera Pāṇḍu telah menewaskan pemanah agung Aśvatthāmā dan juga Śāradvata (Kṛpa). Preseden itu sahaja sudah memadai sebagai bukti untuk memahami perkara ini.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse appeals to a prior, well-known precedent (nidarśana) to establish credibility: past demonstrated capability is presented as sufficient proof when assessing present claims about martial strength and outcomes.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra that during an earlier cattle-raid (gograha), a Pāṇḍava had already defeated both Aśvatthāmā and Kṛpa, implying that similar superiority should be expected now; the earlier event is cited as decisive evidence.