Shloka 446
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
वासुदेवमुवाचेदं कौन्तेय: श्वेतवाहन: । तदनन्तर हाथी
sañjaya uvāca—vāsudevam uvācedaṃ kaunteyaḥ śvetavāhanaḥ | tadanantaraṃ hāthī-ghoḍe-rathapar yātrā-karṇavāle kroḍoṃ rājāoṃ se ghire hue bhīṣmaḥ, yo yuddha meṃ devatāoṃ ke liye bhī durjaya the, āpke putroṃ ko bacāne ke liye ekamātra bālaka mahārathī abhimanyuko lakṣya karke tīvravega se āge baḍhe | unko us or jātā dekh śvetavāhana kuntīputra arjun ne vāsudevanandana bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇ se is prakār kahā—
桑阇耶说：随后，俱提之子、驾白马战车的阿周那对婆苏提婆说了这些话。紧接着，毗湿摩——被乘象、乘马与乘战车的无数国王簇拥，战场上连诸天也难以战胜——为护佑你的诸子，猛然以疾风般的速度前冲，锁定那孤身的少年大车战士阿毗曼纽为目标。见毗湿摩朝那方向而去，俱提之子阿周那便如此对婆苏提婆之子、世尊室利·奎师那说道——
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical tension of war: even a revered elder like Bhishma, acting out of duty and loyalty to protect the Kauravas, chooses a decisive tactical move against a single youthful champion. It also underscores Arjuna’s reliance on Krishna for counsel, showing that righteous action in battle is guided not only by strength but by discernment and alignment with dharma.
Bhishma, backed by vast forces, rushes forward to strike Abhimanyu—described as a lone young maharatha—so as to safeguard the Kaurava side. Seeing this, Arjuna (Shvetavahana) turns to Krishna (Vasudeva) and begins to speak, setting up Arjuna’s response to Bhishma’s move.