Shloka 11
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
सो<5तिविद्धो महेष्वास: सृक्किणी परिसंलिहन् | शक्ति कनकवैदूर्यभूषितामायसीं दृढाम्
so 'tividdho maheṣvāsaḥ sṛkkīṇī parisaṃlihan | śaktiṃ kanakavaidūryabhūṣitām āyasīṃ dṛḍhām
Sañjaya said: Though pierced through and grievously wounded, the great archer licked the corners of his mouth and seized a firm iron śakti-spear, adorned with gold and vaidūrya (cat’s-eye gem). In the heat of battle, even in pain, he steadied himself and readied a decisive counterstroke—an image of relentless martial resolve amid the moral darkness of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and martial resolve under extreme suffering, while implicitly reminding the reader of the grim persistence of violence in war—courage and determination appear, but within a morally costly battlefield context.
Sañjaya describes a great archer who, though badly pierced/wounded, regains composure and takes up a strong iron spear decorated with gold and vaidūrya, signaling preparation for a powerful retaliatory attack.