Shloka 22
Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard
मनस्वी बलवाउुछूर: कृतास्त्रो लघुविक्रम: । दूरपाती दृढेषुश्व निमित्तज्ञश्न पाण्डव:
sañjaya uvāca |
manasvī balavān śūraḥ kṛtāstro laghu-vikramaḥ |
dūra-pātī dṛḍheṣuś ca nimitta-jñaś ca pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “That Pāṇḍava—Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu—is high-minded and resolute, strong and heroic; trained and accomplished in the use of weapons, swift in displaying his prowess; able to strike targets from afar, furnished with firm and effective arrows, and discerning in reading auspicious and inauspicious omens.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal warrior profile in the epic: inner resolve (manasvī), strength and courage (balavān, śūraḥ), disciplined mastery of weapon-lore (kṛtāstraḥ), swift and effective action (laghu-vikramaḥ), technical excellence (dūra-pātī, dṛḍheṣuḥ), and situational discernment through reading signs (nimitta-jñaḥ). Ethically, it frames martial power as grounded in training, self-control, and alert judgment rather than mere aggression.
In Bhīṣma Parva’s battle narration, Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and characterizes Arjuna by listing his virtues and battlefield competencies, underscoring why he is formidable and why events on the field may turn in the Pāṇḍavas’ favor.