Shloka 18
भीष्मपतनविषये धृतराष्ट्रस्य प्रश्नाः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Questions on Bhīṣma’s Fall
अरक्ष्यमाणं हि वृको हन्यात् सिंहं महाबलम् । मा सिंहं जम्बुकेनेव घातयाम: शिखण्डिना
arakṣyamāṇaṃ hi vṛko hanyāt siṃhaṃ mahābalam | mā siṃhaṃ jambuken eva ghātayāmaḥ śikhaṇḍinā |
Wika ni Sañjaya: “Kahit ang isang makapangyarihang leon, kung pababayaan at walang nagbabantay, ay maaaring mapatay ng isang lobo. Huwag nating hayaang si Bhīṣma—na tulad ng leon sa tapang—ay pabagsakin ni Śikhaṇḍin, gaya ng leon na pinabagsak ng isang asong-gubat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses animal imagery to warn that even the greatest can be defeated if left unprotected, and it frames an ethical concern: a heroic warrior should not be brought down through an ignoble or opportunistic means.
Sañjaya comments on the battlefield situation, likening Bhīṣma to a lion and Śikhaṇḍin to a jackal, urging that Bhīṣma should not be allowed to be killed through Śikhaṇḍin’s involvement—implying a tactical and moral objection to that mode of defeat.