Shloka 626
अभ्यधावत कौन्तेयं मिषतां सर्वधन्विनाम् । महाराज! तदनन्तर भीष्मने दिव्य अस्त्र प्रकट करते हुए वहाँ समस्त धनुर्धरोंके देखते- देखते कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनपर धावा किया
abhya-dhāvat kaunteyaṃ miṣatāṃ sarva-dhanvinām | mahārāja! tad-anantaraṃ bhīṣmaḥ divyāstrāṇi prakaṭayan tatra samasta-dhanurdharāṇāṃ paśyatāṃ paśyatāṃ kuntī-kumāra arjunam prati dhāvāṃ cakāra |
Sañjaya said: “O great king, while all the bowmen looked on, Bhīṣma rushed at the son of Kuntī. Then, revealing celestial weapons, Bhīṣma charged there—openly and unmistakably—against Kuntī’s son Arjuna before the eyes of all the archers.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the public, accountable nature of kṣatriya warfare: a renowned elder-warrior (Bhīṣma) openly commits to a decisive engagement, displaying mastery of astras. Ethically, it underscores that power and skill are to be exercised in a visible, rule-bound arena—before witnesses—rather than through concealment or treachery.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, in full view of the assembled archers, suddenly charges Arjuna. As he advances, he reveals/ploys celestial weapons, signaling an intensified phase of the battle focused on confronting Arjuna directly.