Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्य कार्य त्वया वीर रक्षणं सुमहात्मन:,“वीर! तुम्हें उन महात्मा भीष्मकी रक्षा करनी चाहिये। युद्धमें सुरक्षित रहनेपर हमारे पितामह भीष्म समरांगणमें विजयके लिये प्रयत्न करनेवाले पाण्डवोंसहित पांचालोंका संहार कर डालेंगे

Transliteration

tasya kāryaṁ tvayā vīra rakṣaṇaṁ sumahātmanaḥ |

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О герой, твой долг — оберегать великодушного Бхишму. Если наш прародитель Бхишма останется невредим в битве, он будет стремиться к победе на поле брани и погубит Пандавов вместе с Панчалами».

Word by Word

तस्यof him/that (person)

कार्यंduty; what is to be done

त्वयाby you

वीरO hero

रक्षणम्protection; guarding

सुमहात्मनःof the very great-souled (one)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

Pāṇḍavas

Pāñcālas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames protection of a key elder-warrior as a warrior’s obligation (kārya), showing how dharma in a royal-war context can be expressed as loyalty to one’s side and strategic safeguarding of a decisive leader—while also hinting at the grave ethical weight of seeking victory through large-scale destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports counsel urging a warrior to ensure Bhīṣma’s safety. The reasoning is tactical: if Bhīṣma is kept secure on the battlefield, he will press for victory and is expected to devastate the opposing forces, specifically the Pāṇḍavas and their Pāñcāla allies.