Shloka 14
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
(मम माधव सैन्येषु वध्यमानेषु तेन वै । कथं योत्स्याम दुर्धर्ष श्रेयो मे5त्र विधीयताम् ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
mama mādhava sainyeṣu vadhyamāneṣu tena vai |
kathaṃ yotsyāma durdharṣa śreyo me 'tra vidhīyatām ||
tvameva gatirasmākaṃ nānyāṃ gatimupāsmahe |
na yuddhaṃ rocate mahāṃ bhīṣmeṇa saha mādhava |
hanti bhīṣmo mahāvīro mama sainyaṃ ca saṃyuge ||
na caivainaṃ mahātmānamutsahāmo nirīkṣitum |
lelihāmānaṃ sainyeṣu pravṛddhamiva pāvakam ||
三阇耶说道：“摩达婆啊，当我们的军队被他如此斩杀之时，我们怎能与那不可撼动的毗湿摩交战？请在此为我裁定，何者才是真正的上策。你是我们唯一的归依；我们不求别的依怙。与毗湿摩作战，我心中实不愿意，摩达婆。可那大英雄毗湿摩仍在战场上不断歼灭我的军队。我们甚至没有勇气去直视那位大心者——他在军阵中如烈火般狂烈，以箭矢之“舌”舔尽一切。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: even in a just or necessary war, fighting revered elders like Bhīṣma can feel ethically repugnant. It also shows the psychological need for a higher guide—addressing Mādhava as the sole refuge—when one’s own judgment is shaken by fear, reverence, and the scale of destruction.
Sañjaya reports the crisis caused by Bhīṣma’s overwhelming prowess on the battlefield. As Bhīṣma devastates the opposing troops like a raging fire, the speaker confesses reluctance to fight him and asks Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) to determine the best course of action, acknowledging him as their only support.