Shloka 3
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
(क्रोडरूपं हरिमिव प्रविशन्तं महार्णवम् ।) शस्त्रौधिणं गाहमानं सेनासागरमक्षयम् । निवारयितुमप्याजौ त्वदीया: कुरुनन्दन
sañjaya uvāca | (kroḍarūpaṃ harim iva praviśantaṃ mahārṇavam |) śastraughiṇaṃ gāhamānaṃ senāsāgaram akṣayam | nivārayitum apy ājau tvadīyāḥ kurunandana |
Sañjaya berkata: Seperti Hari dalam rupa Varāha (Babi Hutan) memasuki samudera raya, demikianlah pembunuh musuh—putera Subhadrā—dalam amarah di medan perang, menerjah ke dalam lautan bala tentera Kaurava yang seakan-akan tidak bertepi, mara di tengah-tengah derasnya senjata. Wahai kebanggaan kaum Kuru, pada saat itu para askarmu tidak mampu menahannya di gelanggang pertempuran.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary courage and righteous resolve can appear unstoppable, yet it also foreshadows the moral tension of war: even a vast force may fail to check a single determined warrior, raising questions about duty, protection of the young, and the ethics of collective violence.
Sañjaya describes Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā, entering the Kaurava battle formation like Viṣṇu’s Varāha entering the ocean—advancing through a flood of weapons and penetrating the ‘ocean’ of the Kaurava host, while the Kaurava soldiers are unable to stop him.