Shloka 20
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
एको<स्त्रवित् सखा ते&यं सो<प्यस्मान् समुपेक्षते । निर्दह्ममानान् भीष्मेण द्रोणेन च महात्मना
sañjaya uvāca | eko 'stravit sakhā te 'yaṃ so 'py asmān samupeksate | nirdahyamānān bhīṣmeṇa droṇena ca mahātmanā ||
سنجے نے کہا—تمہارا یہی ایک دوست ارجن ہی دیویہ استروں کا جاننے والا ہے؛ مگر مہاتما بھیشم اور درون کے ہاتھوں ہم جل رہے ہیں، پھر بھی وہ ہماری پروا نہیں کرتا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between capability and responsibility: possessing extraordinary power (divyāstras) does not automatically translate into its use. In war, restraint, timing, and allegiance shape action; neglecting allies in crisis is portrayed as a serious moral and strategic failing from the Kaurava viewpoint.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Kaurava side is being heavily afflicted by Bhishma and Drona, and he laments that Arjuna—Dhritarashtra’s ‘friend’ and the one famed for knowledge of divine weapons—is not intervening to protect them, effectively ‘overlooking’ their plight.