Shloka 86
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
ज्वलन्तीमन्तरिक्षे तां ज्वालाभिरिव संवृताम् । असम्भ्रान्तस्तदा राजन् पिता देवव्रतस्तव
jvalantīm antarikṣe tāṁ jvālābhir iva saṁvṛtām | asambhrāntas tadā rājan pitā devavratas tava ||
Sañjaya thưa: “Tâu Đại vương, khi ấy phụ vương của bệ hạ, Devavrata (Bhīṣma), vững dạ không hề rối loạn, đã trông thấy nàng rực cháy giữa không trung, như bị những lưỡi lửa vây bọc bốn bề.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness of mind in the face of terrifying or extraordinary sights: Bhīṣma remains asambhrānta—unshaken—suggesting the ethical ideal of courage and composure (dhairya) expected of a disciplined warrior and leader.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a striking vision: a female presence blazing in the sky, seemingly wrapped in flames. Bhīṣma (Devavrata), Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s father, witnesses it without panic, indicating an ominous or supernatural portent amid the war context.