Shloka 3
शरै: कनकपुड्खैश्न शक्तितोमरकम्पनै: । नाराचैर्वत्सदन्तैश्व भुशुण्डीभिश्नल सर्वशः
sañjaya uvāca | śaraiḥ kanakapudkhaiś ca śaktitomarakaṃpanaiḥ | nārācair vatsadantaiś ca bhuśuṇḍībhiś ca sarvaśaḥ | atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṃ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ |
Sanjaya said: United together, all the Sṛñjayas struck Bhīṣma on the battlefield from every side—assailing him with arrows fitted with golden feathers, with spears and tomaras, with the weapon called kampana, with nārācas and the ‘calf-tooth’ shafts, and with bhuśuṇḍīs.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim dharmic tension of war: even a venerable elder like Bhīṣma becomes a legitimate target when he stands as the chief defender of an unjust cause. It underscores kṣatriya-duty and collective resolve, while implicitly reminding the listener of the moral cost of violence against revered kin.
Sañjaya reports that the Sṛñjaya forces, acting in coordination, surround and strike Bhīṣma from all directions with many kinds of missiles and weapons—golden-fletched arrows, spears, heavy bolts, and other named arms—attempting to overwhelm him in battle.