Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 44
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
भीमसेनो रणश्लाघी त्रिधैकैकं समाच्छिनत् । तांश्व सर्वान् महेष्वासांस्त्रिभिस्त्रिेभिरताडयत्
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmaseno raṇaślāghī tridhaikaikaṃ samācchinat | tāṃś ca sarvān maheṣvāsāṃs tribhis tribhir atāḍayat |
Sañjaya said: Bhīmasena, proud of his prowess in battle, split each of them into three parts. Then, striking those mighty archers again and again with threefold blows, he battered them down—an image of overwhelming force unleashed amid the moral chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of martial prowess and relentless effort in battle, while implicitly reminding the reader that war magnifies human impulses—pride, force, and the drive to dominate—raising ethical tension even when action is framed as duty.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma in the thick of combat: he cuts down opponents (described as mighty archers), splitting each into three, and then continues striking them repeatedly with threefold blows, emphasizing his ferocity and battlefield superiority.
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