Shloka 40
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
धृष्टय्युम्नं तथा5<यान्तं भीष्मस्य वधकाड्क्षिणम् । हार्दिक्यो वारयामास रथश्रेष्ठं महारथ:,इसी प्रकार भीष्मके वधकी इच्छासे आते हुए रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ धृष्टद्युम्नको महारथी कृतवर्माने रोक दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ tathāyāntaṃ bhīṣmasya vadhakāṅkṣiṇam |
hārdikyo vārayāmāsa rathaśreṣṭhaṃ mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As Dhṛṣṭadyumna—the finest among chariot-warriors—advanced with the intent to bring about Bhīṣma’s death, the great warrior Kṛtavarmā, known as Hārdikya, moved to check and restrain him. The scene underscores how, amid the moral strain of war, each side treats the protection or removal of a pivotal elder as a decisive duty, and valor is expressed as loyal intervention on behalf of one’s cause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the wartime ethic of steadfast loyalty and timely intervention: a warrior’s prowess is shown not only in attack but also in preventing a decisive threat to one’s side. It also reflects the moral tension of targeting a revered elder like Bhīṣma, treated as a strategic and dharmic turning point by both armies.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna advances with the aim of killing Bhīṣma. Kṛtavarmā (Hārdikya), a leading Kaurava ally, blocks and restrains him, preventing Dhṛṣṭadyumna from reaching Bhīṣma at that moment.