Shloka 14
भीष्मस्य धनुषश्छेदं नामृष्यन्त महारथा:
sañjaya uvāca | bhīṣmasya dhanuṣaś chedaṃ nāmṛṣyanta mahārathāḥ, atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṃ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ | abhipetur bhuśaṃ kruddhāś chādayantaś ca pāṇḍavam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Unfähig zu ertragen, dass Bhīṣmas Bogen zerschlagen worden war, stürmten die großen Wagenkrieger—vereint mit allen Sṛñjayas—im Kampf auf Bhīṣma ein. Dann, von wilder Wut entflammt, drangen sie vor, zeigten ihre Kriegskunst und überschütteten den Pāṇḍava (Arjuna) mit Pfeilsalven, um ihn von allen Seiten zu überwältigen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the epic: when honor is wounded (the cutting of Bhishma’s bow), warriors often respond with anger and escalation. It implicitly contrasts disciplined kṣatriya duty with impulsive retaliation, showing how wrath can drive collective violence.
After Bhishma’s bow is cut, elite fighters cannot tolerate the affront. They unite and intensify the battle—assailing Bhishma and then charging in anger to smother the Pāṇḍava hero (understood as Arjuna) with a dense shower of arrows.