Shloka 15
अनीकव्यूहप्रतिव्यूहः
Counter-deployment of Divisions and the Opening Tumult
वायुदेव उवाच य एष रोषात् प्रतपन् बलस्थो यो नः सेनां सिंह इवेक्षते च । स एष भीष्म: कुरुवंशकेतु- येनाह्वतास्त्रिशतं वाजिमेधा:
vāyudeva uvāca | ya eṣa roṣāt pratapan balastho yo naḥ senāṃ siṃha ivekṣate ca | sa eṣa bhīṣmaḥ kuruvaṃśaketuḥ yenāhvatās triśataṃ vājimedhāḥ ||
Vāyudeva nói: “Kẻ đứng giữa sức mạnh của đại quân, bừng cháy vì phẫn nộ, và nhìn quân ta như sư tử—chính là Bhīṣma, ngọn cờ của dòng Kuru, người đã cử hành trọn vẹn ba trăm lễ tế Aśvamedha.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly power in battle is intertwined with dharmic reputation: Bhīṣma’s fearsome presence is reinforced by his standing as the Kuru dynasty’s emblem and by his vast ritual accomplishments. It suggests that ethical conflict in the Mahābhārata is not merely physical combat but confrontation with revered elders whose merit and duty complicate the righteousness of war.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s battlefield setting, Vāyudeva identifies the warrior who stands at the center of the opposing force, glaring like a lion—Bhīṣma. He is introduced with honorific emphasis, noting his dynastic stature and the extraordinary number of Aśvamedha rites attributed to him, thereby underscoring the magnitude of the challenge faced by the other side.