Shloka 13
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
कृष्ण पश्य महात्मानं भीष्मं भीमपराक्रमम् । गजं नलवनानीव विमृद्नन्तं बल॑ मम
sañjaya uvāca | kṛṣṇa paśya mahātmānaṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhīmaparākramam | gajaṃ nalavanānīva vimṛdnantaṃ balaṃ mama ||
Sañjaya said: “O Krishna, behold the great-souled Bhīṣma, of dreadful prowess. He is crushing my forces just as an elephant tramples down thickets of reeds.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of a single disciplined, dharma-bound warrior in battle, and the moral tension of war where even the ‘great-souled’ can become an instrument of destruction. It underscores how prowess and righteousness can coexist, yet still produce tragic outcomes on the battlefield.
Sanjaya reports to the blind king that Bhishma is devastating the Kaurava ranks. Addressing Krishna, he uses a vivid simile: Bhishma’s advance is like an elephant trampling reed-forests, conveying the ease and inevitability with which the troops are being crushed.