Shloka 56
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
अर्जुनो वार्यमाणस्तु बहुशस्तत्र भारत | विमुखीकृत्य पुत्र ते सेनां तव ममर्द ह,भरतनन्दन! वहाँ बारंबार रोके जानेपर भी अर्जुनने आपके पुत्रको युद्धसे विमुख करके आपकी सेनाको रौंद डाला
arjuno vāryamāṇas tu bahuśas tatra bhārata | vimukhīkṛtya putra te senāṃ tava mamarda ha ||
Sañjaya sprach: O Bhārata, obgleich man ihn dort immer wieder aufzuhalten suchte, zerschmetterte Arjuna—nachdem er deinen Sohn vom Kampf abgewandt hatte—dein Heer.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between attempted restraint and the inexorable demands of battlefield dharma: even when opposition tries to check him, Arjuna acts decisively—first neutralizing the immediate adversary (the prince) and then breaking the larger force—showing how duty and strategy can override repeated attempts to halt a warrior in the midst of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, despite being repeatedly obstructed, forced Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son to turn away from combat and then routed/crushed the Kaurava army at that spot.