Shloka 14
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 18: सेनानिनादः, ध्वज-दीप्तिः, भीष्मरक्षण-व्यवस्था च
Battle Muster: Soundscape, Banners, and the Protection of Bhīṣma
द्वादशैते जनपदा: सर्वे शूरास्तनुत्यज: । महता रथवंशेन ते ररक्षु: पितामहम्
dvādaśaite janapadāḥ sarve śūrās tanutyajaḥ | mahatā rathavaṁśena te rarakṣuḥ pitāmaham ||
三阇耶说道：“这十二个国土——阿毗沙诃、输罗娑那、尸毗、婆娑底、沙尔婆、末次、安婆湿吒、特里伽尔多、计迦耶、苏毗罗、凯多婆，以及居于东方、西方与北方诸地之民——尽是愿以身殉命的勇士。他们汇成浩大的战车之阵，屹立守护着祖父辈的毗湿摩。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the warrior-ethic of steadfast commitment: many peoples unite to protect their commander, accepting personal death as the cost of loyalty and duty. It also implicitly raises the Mahābhārata’s larger question—how such virtues operate when the moral clarity of the war is complex.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a large coalition of warriors from twelve realms has formed a massive chariot-array to guard Bhīṣma, the Kaurava commander, emphasizing the scale of his protection on the battlefield.