Shloka 15
अकरोत् स महाबाहु: सर्वशस्त्रभूतां वर: । ध्वजाएँ काटकर उन्होंने रथसमूहोंको मुण्डित ताल-वनोंके समान कर दिया। राजन! युद्धस्थलमें समस्त शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ महाबाहु भीष्मने बहुत-से रथों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंको मनुष्योंसे रहित कर दिया ।। १४ ह ।। तस्य ज्यातलनिर्घोषं विस्फूर्जितमिवाशने:,उनके धनुषकी प्रत्यंचाकी टंकारथ्वनि वज्की गड़गड़ाहटके समान जान पड़ती थी। भारत! उसे सुनकर समस्त प्राणी काँप उठते थे। भरतश्रेष्ठ] आपके ताऊ भीष्मके बाण कभी खाली नहीं जाते थे
sañjaya uvāca | akarot sa mahābāhuḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | dhvajāṃś ca chittvā rathasaṃghān muṇḍitān tālavanopamān akarot | rājann yuddhasthale samastaśastradhāriṇāṃ śreṣṭho mahābāhur bhīṣmo bahūn rathān hastinaś ca hayāṃś ca manuṣyair rahitān cakāra || tasya jyātalanirghoṣaṃ visphūrjitam ivāśaneḥ | śrutvā taṃ sarvabhūtāni kampante bhārata | bhīṣmasya bāṇā na kadācit riktaṃ yānti ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty-armed Bhīṣma, foremost among all who bear weapons, cut down the standards and made the mass of chariots look like a grove of palmyra trees with their tops shorn. O King, on the battlefield that great-armed hero—best of all armed warriors—left many chariots, elephants, and horses bereft of their riders. The twang of his bowstring sounded like the thunder of a lightning-bolt; hearing it, all creatures trembled, O Bhārata. Bhīṣma’s arrows, once loosed, did not go in vain.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the awe-inspiring force of a great warrior and the grave consequences of war: skill and power, when aligned with kṣatriya-duty, can still generate fear and widespread suffering—reminding the listener that martial excellence carries ethical weight and responsibility.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is dominating the battlefield—cutting down chariot standards, disabling many chariots, elephants, and horses by removing their riders, and terrifying all beings with the thunder-like twang of his bow; his arrows consistently strike their targets.