Shloka 19
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
आर्जुनिं नृपतिर्विद्ध्वा शरै: संनतपर्वभि: । पुनरेव चतु:षष्ट्या राजन् विव्याध तं नृप,राजन! नरेश्वर! काम्बोजराजने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले अनेक बाणोंद्वारा अभिमन्युको घायल करके पुन: चौंसठ बाणोंसे मारकर उन्हें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
sañjaya uvāca |
ārjunim nṛpatir viddhvā śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ |
punareva catuḥṣaṣṭyā rājan vivyādha taṃ nṛpa ||
Sañjaya said: The king struck Arjuni (Abhimanyu) with arrows whose joints were bent, and then again, O King, he pierced that prince with sixty-four more shafts—deepening the wound in the relentless press of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal momentum of war: once violence is unleashed, it escalates through repeated strikes. Ethically, it invites reflection on kṣatriya duty versus excess—how martial prowess can slide into relentless harm when restraint and righteous conduct are not foregrounded.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a king on the battlefield pierces Abhimanyu (called Ārjuni) first with bent-jointed arrows and then again with sixty-four more, intensifying Abhimanyu’s injury amid the ongoing combat.