Shloka 33
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
तामापतन्तीं सहसा मृत्युकल्पां सुदुर्जयाम् । व्यंसयामास वार्ष्णेयो लाघवेन महायशा:
tām āpatantīṃ sahasā mṛtyukalpāṃ sudurjayām | vyaṃsayām āsa vārṣṇeyo lāghavena mahāyaśāḥ || vārṣṇeyas tu tato rājan svāṃ śaktiṃ kanakaprabhām | vegavad gṛhya cikṣepa pitāmaharathaṃ prati ||
Disse Sañjaya: Quando aquela arma investiu de súbito—terrível como a própria morte e, ao que parecia, impossível de deter—o ilustre Vārṣṇeya (Sātyaki) a desviou com ágil destreza. Então, ó Rei, o Vārṣṇeya tomou sua própria lança, radiante como ouro, e a arremessou com grande ímpeto diretamente contra o carro do Avô (Bhīṣma).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: presence of mind under mortal threat, disciplined agility (lāghava), and decisive action. Ethically, it portrays valor and duty in battle without moralizing—showing how warriors respond to lethal danger with skill and resolve.
Sātyaki (called Vārṣṇeya) first deflects a deadly incoming weapon. Immediately afterward, he takes up his own golden-bright spear (śakti) and hurls it at Bhīṣma’s chariot, escalating the exchange in the Kurukṣetra battle.