Shloka 33
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
तथान्यद् धनुरादाय कृतवर्मा वृकोदरम् | आजयपघान भ्रुवोर्मध्ये नाराचेन परंतप:,तब शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले कृतवर्माने दूसरा धनुष लेकर भीमसेनकी दोनों भौंहोंके मध्यभागमें नाराचके द्वारा प्रहार किया
tathānyad dhanur ādāya kṛtavarmā vṛkodaram | ājau jaghāna bhruvormadhye nārācena parantapaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Kṛtavarmā, taking up another bow, struck Vṛkodara (Bhīma) on the battlefield between his two eyebrows with a nārāca arrow.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: combatants pursue decisive strikes to disable or demoralize the foe. Ethically, it reflects the tension in dharma between valor and the destructive momentum of battle, where skill and ferocity are praised even as violence escalates.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛtavarmā switches to another bow and shoots a nārāca arrow at Bhīma (Vṛkodara), hitting him between the eyebrows—depicting an intense exchange of missile combat on the Kurukṣetra battlefield.