Shloka 8
यथा हि शैशिर: कालो गवां मर्माणि कृन्तति । तथा पाण्डुसुतानां वै भीष्मो मर्माणि कृन्तति,जैसे शिशिरकाल गौओंके मर्मस्थानोंका उच्छेद करने लगता है, उसी प्रकार भीष्म पाण्डवोंके मर्मस्थानोंको विदीर्ण करने लगे
yathā hi śaiśiraḥ kālo gavāṁ marmāṇi kṛntati | tathā pāṇḍusutānāṁ vai bhīṣmo marmāṇi kṛntati ||
Sañjaya said: “Just as the winter season cuts into the vital points of cattle, so does Bhīṣma, in truth, cut into the vulnerable vital points of the sons of Pāṇḍu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, even a single mighty warrior can function like an impersonal force of time/season—relentless and damaging—reminding the listener that prowess and circumstance can overwhelm righteousness, and that conflict inevitably targets vulnerabilities (marman).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is striking the Pāṇḍavas effectively, wounding them at their weak points, using the image of winter harming cattle to convey the severity and inevitability of the harm.