Shloka 4
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
यत्र भीष्ममुखान् सर्वान् शस्त्रज्ञान् योधसत्तमान् । पाण्डवानामनीकेषु योधयन्ति प्रहारिण:
yatra bhīṣmamukhān sarvān śastrajñān yodhasattamān | pāṇḍavānām anīkeṣu yodhayanti prahāriṇaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Di manakah para pahlawan utama kita—dipimpin oleh Bhīṣma, semuanya mahir dalam ilmu persenjataan dan yang terbaik antara para pejuang—sedang digerakkan untuk bertempur melawan barisan-barisan Pāṇḍava, saling menghentam dan membalas hentaman dalam himpitan perang?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war under kṣatriya-dharma: leadership (Bhīṣma at the head), disciplined martial knowledge (śastrajñāḥ), and the organized reality of battle (anīkas). It also implicitly reflects Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious dependence on commanders and formations rather than on righteousness.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, seeking to understand the unfolding battle, refers to the scene where Bhīṣma and other elite Kaurava warriors are engaging the Pāṇḍava forces within their divisions/formations, delivering blows as the fighting intensifies.