Shloka 40
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
दशमे5हनि सम्प्राप्ते रथानीकं शिखण्डिन: । अदहन्निशितैर्बाणै: कृष्णवर्त्मेव काननम्
daśame ’hani samprāpte rathānīkaṃ śikhaṇḍinaḥ | adahan niśitair bāṇaiḥ kṛṣṇavartmeva kānanam ||
قال سنجيا: لما حلّ اليوم العاشر، أمطر بهيشما جيشَ مركبات شيخاندين بوابلٍ من السهام الحادّة كالموسى، فأضرمه نارًا والتهمه كما تلتهم نارُ الهشيم غابةً بأسرها.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral reality of war: disciplined force and mastery in combat can overwhelm even organized armies. It implicitly points to the kṣatriya code where duty is pursued through martial excellence, while also revealing the tragic cost—whole formations can be ‘consumed’ in moments.
On the tenth day of the Kurukṣetra war, Bhīṣma attacks Shikhaṇḍin’s chariot-formation with sharp arrows, destroying it as a wildfire consumes a forest. Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra as part of the day’s unfolding battle.