Shloka 31
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
ततः शान्तनवो भीष्म: सैन्यं दृष्टवाभिविद्रुतम् । महता शरवर्षेण सौभद्रं पर्यवारयत्,तदनन्तर अपनी सेनाको भागती हुई देख शान्तनु-नन्दन भीष्मने बड़ी भारी बाण-वर्षा करके सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युको रोक दिया
tataḥ śāntanavo bhīṣmaḥ sainyaṃ dṛṣṭvābhividrutam | mahatā śaravarṣeṇa saubhadraṃ paryavārayat ||
سنجے نے کہا—پھر شانتنو کے بیٹے بھیشم نے اپنی فوج کو بدحواسی میں بھاگتا دیکھ کر، زبردست تیراندازی کی بارش برسا کر سوبھدر اَبھمنیو کو روک لیا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of kṣatriya-dharma, a commander must restore order when troops falter: Bhīṣma responds to panic not with despair but with disciplined force and tactical restraint, protecting his side by checking a dangerous advance.
Bhīṣma sees the Kuru forces rushing in disorder and counters the immediate threat posed by Abhimanyu by releasing a heavy volley of arrows, thereby halting or containing Abhimanyu and stabilizing the battlefield situation.