Shloka 73
अमोघा न्यपतन् बाणा: पितुस्ते मनुजेश्वर । नासज्जन्त शरीरेषु भीष्मचापच्युता: शरा:
amoghā nyapatan bāṇāḥ pitus te manujeśvara | nāsajjanta śarīreṣu bhīṣma-cāpa-cyutāḥ śarāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O lord of men, the arrows of your father never fell in vain. The shafts released from Bhīṣma’s bow did not lodge in men’s bodies—so swift and forceful were they, passing through without being checked.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying certainty of consummate martial skill in war: when a great warrior acts with full mastery, his weapons do not go ‘in vain.’ Ethically, it highlights the grave consequences of choosing war—once unleashed, such power becomes difficult to resist or contain.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra about the battlefield, praising the effectiveness of the arrows associated with Dhritarashtra’s side—especially those shot from Bhishma’s bow—describing them as unfailing and so penetrating that they do not remain lodged in the bodies they strike.