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 ||
Sañjaya nói: Rồi Bhīṣma, con của Śāntanu, thấy quân mình rối loạn tháo chạy, liền trút xuống một cơn mưa tên dữ dội để chặn Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)—kìm hãm đà tiến của dũng sĩ trẻ và giữ vững tuyến Kuru giữa cơn hỗn loạn chiến trường.
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.