VERSE NUMBER: 11

NOW ALL OF YOU ASSUME POSITIONS IN YOUR RESPECTIVE DIVISION AND PROTECT BHISHMA ALONE, BY ALL MEANS.

VERSE NUMBER 12

IN ORDER TO EMBOLDEN DURIYODHANA, BHISHMA THE MIGHTY GRANDSIRE, THE OLDEST OF THE  KURUS, NOW RAISED A LION’S ROAR AND BLEW HIS CONCH.

Comments:

After introducing his army under Bhishma to Drona, now Duriyodhana turns to his own men and advises them all to protect Bhishma alone, by all means. This is, of course, in line with the tactic of any warfare. They say about the form of a cricketer, that the game is played more in the minds of the players than at the pitch. The form of a cricketer is all about how long, out of court, he remains tuned with the game in his mind. If his daily activities include too many things outside the game of cricket, namely, too much social life and materialistic pursuit, then the concerned cricketer loses form first in his mind, which gets reflected on the pitch. Thus, in a war the morale of the individual soldier counts much than the number of them, and once they see their commander-in-chief slain then the morale touches the lowest nadir, and they would be turned into a crowd which could be easily dispersed. So only Duriyodhana, according to the custom of warfare, issues orders to his soldiers to protect, by all means, Bhishma, the commander-in-chief!

But the grandsire of the kurus is no mean person, and he is thirsting for war, and takes out his conch and blows it , after roaring like a lion he is.

Here is an irony we should note:

While Arjuna is going to become despondent soon, his grandsire, whom he describes as worshipful, is ready to not just start the war, but is itching for the commencement of the war! Does he not know what the outcome of the war is going to be? This being a dharma yudha, the unrighteous Kauravas are bound to kiss death wholesale. And still their grandsire is thirsting for the war!

WHY?

AND CONTRAST THIS ACTIVATED ACTION ON HIS PART, AND THE WAY HE, ALONG WITH OTHER ELDERS, SAT MOTIONLESS WHILE PANJALI, THE WIFE OF THE PANDAVAS, WAS BEING DISROBED!

NOW THE WAR IS GOING TO START, AND BHISHMA SHOWS HIS ACTION AND READINESS FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE SAME, THEN, AT DURIYODHANA’S COURT, HE HAD KEPT SILENT AND LET PANJALI BE SUBJECTED TO THE ULTIMATE OUTRAGE A PATNI WOMAN COULD BE!

SO, THE ANSWER LIES IN THIS ASSUMPTION:

Sri Krishna and all others tried their level best to avert this war, but Duriyodhana’s unrighteous conducts increased day by day, so, even so Bhishma was the grandsire, he knew well that the Kaurava’s were heading toward a precipice and writing assiduously their own end and signing their own death warrants. So only, at the court the grandsire kept mum, kept his calm, and here at the place where the kauravas are going to be annihilated, Bhisma is almost impatient for the starting of the war of dharma! In contrast, Arjuna is going to become, soon, despondent and almost gives up war, and even come for a life of renouncement!