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 ||
风神说道：“那位立于军势之中，因忿怒而炽然如火，并以狮子之目俯视我军者——正是毗湿摩，俱卢族之旌旗；由他依礼圆满举行了三百次马祭（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.