Shloka 68
जैसे प्रजजलित अग्नि वायुका सहारा पाकर घास-फूँसके जंगलमें विचरती है, इसी प्रकार दिव्यास्त्रोंका प्रयोग करते हुए भीष्मजी भी शत्रुसेनामें प्रज्वलित हो रहे थे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yathā prajvalito 'gnir vāyunā sahāyaṃ prāpya tṛṇa-gulma-vaneṣu vicarati, evam divyāstrāṇi prayuñjāno bhīṣmo 'pi śatru-senāsu prajvalamāna iva babhūva | somakāṃś ca raṇe bhīṣmo jaghne pārtha-padānugān | nyavārayat tat sainyaṃ pāṇḍavasya mahārathaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: As a blazing fire, finding the support of the wind, ranges through thickets of grass and brushwood, so too Bhishma—though employing celestial weapons—seemed to blaze forth amid the enemy’s ranks. In battle he struck down the Somakas who were following in Arjuna’s track, and that great chariot-warrior also checked the advance of the Pandava host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying momentum of martial power when supported by enabling conditions—like fire driven by wind—while also hinting at the ethical tension of war: even a righteous, disciplined warrior’s prowess can become all-consuming on the battlefield, demanding vigilance about how power is directed.
Sanjaya describes Bhishma’s onslaught: he appears like a wind-fed conflagration as he employs celestial weapons, strikes the Somakas aligned with Arjuna’s advance, and halts the forward movement of the Pandava forces.