Shloka 6
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
ततो भरतशार्दूल धिष्ण्यमाकाशगं यथा । स मामभ्यवधीत् तूर्ण जन्रुदेशे कुरूद्धह,भरतश्रेष्ठ! कुरुकुलरत्न! फिर आकाशवर्ती नक्षत्रके समान प्रकाशित होनेवाली उस शक्तिने तुरंत आकर मेरे गलेकी हँसलीपर आघात किया
tato bharataśārdūla dhiṣṇyam ākāśagaṃ yathā | sā mām abhyavadhīt tūrṇaṃ grīvādeśe kurūdvaha ||
Dann, o Tiger unter den Bhāratas, traf mich jene lodernde Śakti —leuchtend wie ein Stern, der am Himmel dahinfährt— mit jähem Ansturm in der Gegend des Halses.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh inevitability of warfare and the ethical ideal of steadfast endurance: a warrior may be struck down suddenly, yet dignity and resolve in the face of suffering remain central to kṣatriya-dharma.
Bhīṣma describes a radiant śakti-like force, compared to a sky-moving star, that swiftly comes and strikes him at the neck region, marking a decisive moment of injury in the account he is narrating.