Shloka 32
अशीत्या निशितैर्बाणैस्ततो5क्रोशन्त तावका: । राजन! तब रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मने पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनको अस्सी पैने बाण मारकर बींध डाला। यह देखकर आपके सैनिक हर्षसे कोलाहल करने लगे ।। ३१ ह || तेषां तु निनदं श्रुत्वा सहितानां प्रहृष्टवत्
sañjaya uvāca | aśītyā niśitair bāṇais tato ’krośanta tāvakāḥ | rājann, tava rathīnāṃ śreṣṭho bhīṣmaḥ pāṇḍunandanaṃ arjunaṃ aśīti-praharaiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ viddhvā | etad dṛṣṭvā tava sainikāḥ harṣeṇa kolāhalaṃ cakruḥ | teṣāṃ tu ninadaṃ śrutvā sahitānāṃ prahṛṣṭavat ... |
Sañjaya sprach: Da erhoben, o König, deine Männer Jubelrufe. Bhīṣma, der Beste unter den Wagenkämpfern, durchbohrte Arjuna, den Sohn Pāṇḍus, mit achtzig scharfen Pfeilen. Als sie dies sahen, brach dein Heer in einen jauchzenden Lärm aus. Und als das Dröhnen der versammelten, frohlockenden Truppen erklang, regte sich die Gegenseite zur Antwort, und der Schwung der Schlacht wandte sich.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the volatility of battlefield judgment: immediate tactical success (Bhīṣma’s powerful strike) produces collective elation and loud acclaim, yet such reactions do not settle the deeper dharmic question of right and wrong. It cautions that morale and triumphalism can surge from violence, even while the ultimate outcome and ethical evaluation remain unresolved.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, the foremost Kaurava chariot-warrior, pierces Arjuna with eighty sharp arrows. The Kaurava soldiers, seeing Arjuna struck, shout in joy and raise an uproar; the next line begins to describe the response upon hearing that roar.