Shloka 27
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम वृद्धयोश्चरितं महत् । यद् द्रौणिसायकान् घोरान् प्रत्यवारयतां युधि,राजन! वहाँ उन दोनों बूढ़े नरेशोंका हमने अद्भुत एवं महान् पराक्रम यह देखा कि वे युद्धमें अश्वत्थामाके भयंकर बाणोंका निवारण करते जा रहे थे
tatrādbhutam apaśyāma vṛddhayoś caritaṃ mahat | yad droṇisāyakān ghorān pratyavārayatāṃ yudhi, rājan |
Sañjaya said: “There, O King, we beheld a wondrous and truly great feat of those two aged kings: in the thick of battle they kept turning back the dreadful arrows shot by Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the devastation of war, the epic highlights disciplined prowess and steadfastness: age does not negate duty or courage, and true martial excellence includes the capacity to restrain and neutralize violence rather than merely unleash it.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that he saw an extraordinary spectacle: two elderly kings on the battlefield repeatedly warding off the terrifying arrows launched by Aśvatthāmā, demonstrating remarkable skill and endurance.