Shloka 17
भीष्मस्य मण्डलव्यूहः — Bhīṣma’s Maṇḍala Battle-Formation and the Opening Engagements
साध्विदं कथ्यते वीरा यद्येवं मतिरद्य व: । युध्यध्वं सहिता यत्ता निहनिष्यामि वो रणे,“वीरो! यदि तुम्हारा ऐसा विचार है तो तुमलोगोंने यह बड़ी अच्छी बात कही है। तुम सब लोग एक साथ सावधान होकर यत्नपूर्वक युद्ध करो। मैं इस रणभूमिमें तुम सब लोगोंको मार गिराऊँगा'
sādhv idaṃ kathyate vīrā yad evaṃ matir adya vaḥ | yudhyadhvaṃ sahitā yattā nihanīṣyāmi vo raṇe ||
Sañjaya disse: “Heróis, o que dissestes é de fato apropriado—se tal é hoje a vossa determinação. Então lutai, unidos e preparados, empenhando todo o esforço; neste campo de batalha eu vos abaterei.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a warrior-code principle: once a resolve for battle is declared, it must be carried out with unity (sahitāḥ), vigilance (yattāḥ), and full effort—while also highlighting the grave ethical weight of choosing violence, since the outcome is framed as mutual destruction.
Sañjaya reports a taunting, confrontational exchange in the war setting: the addressed warriors affirm a certain intention, and the speaker responds by approving their stated resolve and challenging them to fight together and prepared, declaring that he will kill them on the battlefield.