Shloka 9
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
द्रुपद: पञचविंशत्या विराटो दशभि: शरै: । शिखण्डी पज्चविंशत्या भीष्मं विव्याध सायकै:,द्रपदने पचीस, विराटने दस और शिखण्डीने पचीस सायकोंद्वारा भीष्मको घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | drupadaḥ pañcaviṃśatyā virāṭo daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ | śikhaṇḍī pañcaviṃśatyā bhīṣmaṃ vivyādha sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Drupada struck Bhīṣma with twenty-five arrows; Virāṭa pierced him with ten shafts; and Śikhaṇḍī again wounded Bhīṣma with twenty-five missiles.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most venerable figures are subject to the impersonal force of dharma-driven conflict: in war, duty and strategy can compel attacks upon elders, highlighting the tension between reverence and kṣatriya obligation.
Sañjaya reports that Drupada, Virāṭa, and Śikhaṇḍī simultaneously strike Bhīṣma with specified numbers of arrows, intensifying the assault that contributes to Bhīṣma’s eventual downfall.