Shloka 22
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
संदधे विशिखं घोरं कालमृत्युसमप्रभम् । तेनाजघान संक्रुद्धों भीमसेनं स्तनान्तरे,फिर उसके ऊपर काल और मृत्युके समान तेजस्वी भयंकर बाण रखा और कुपित हो उसके द्वारा भीमसेनकी छातीमें गहरा आघात किया
saṃdadhe viśikhaṃ ghoraṃ kālamṛtyusamaprabham | tenājaghāna saṃkruddho bhīmasenaṃ stanāntare ||
Sañjaya sprach: Er legte einen schrecklichen Pfeil auf, der loderte wie Zeit und Tod selbst; dann traf er, vom Zorn getrieben, Bhīmasena in der Brust und versetzte ihm einen tiefen, wuchtigen Schlag.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, anger (krodha) and the drive to overpower can make combat feel like the working of Kāla (Time) and Mṛtyu (Death). It implicitly cautions that martial action, once fueled by wrath, becomes an impersonal force of destruction where even great strength offers no immunity.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (implied from context) fitting a fearsome arrow and, in anger, striking Bhīma in the chest. The image compares the arrow’s radiance and terror to Time and Death, emphasizing the severity of the blow and the lethal intensity of the battle.