Shloka 40
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
दशमे5हनि सम्प्राप्ते रथानीकं शिखण्डिन: । अदहन्निशितैर्बाणै: कृष्णवर्त्मेव काननम्,वे मुँह फैलाये हुए कालके समान भीष्मको रोक न सके। दसवाँ दिन आनेपर भीष्म जैसे दावाग्नि वनको जला देती है, उसी प्रकार शिखण्डीकी रथसेनाको तीखे बाणोंकी आगमें भस्म करने लगे
daśame ’hani samprāpte rathānīkaṃ śikhaṇḍinaḥ | adahan niśitair bāṇaiḥ kṛṣṇavartmeva kānanam ||
Sañjaya said: When the tenth day arrived, Bhīṣma, with volleys of razor-sharp arrows, set Śikhaṇḍin’s chariot-host ablaze—consuming it as a forest is consumed by a wildfire.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral reality of war: disciplined force and mastery in combat can overwhelm even organized armies. It implicitly points to the kṣatriya code where duty is pursued through martial excellence, while also revealing the tragic cost—whole formations can be ‘consumed’ in moments.
On the tenth day of the Kurukṣetra war, Bhīṣma attacks Shikhaṇḍin’s chariot-formation with sharp arrows, destroying it as a wildfire consumes a forest. Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra as part of the day’s unfolding battle.