Shloka 42
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
स बिभेद शतघ्नीं च नवभि: कड्कपत्रिभि: | मद्रराजप्रयुक्तं च शरं छित्त्वा महारथ:
sa bibheda śataghnīṃ ca navabhiḥ kaṅkapatribhiḥ | madrarāja-prayuktaṃ ca śaraṃ chittvā mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warrior shattered the śataghnī as well with nine arrows feathered with heron-plumes; and, cutting down the arrow discharged by the king of Madra, he continued to dominate the exchange. The scene underscores the disciplined skill of a kṣatriya in battle—meeting lethal force with measured counter-force, where mastery and alertness become the means of survival amid the moral gravity of war.
संजय उवाच