Shloka 55
अथैनं पज्चविंशत्या क्षुद्रकाणां समार्पयत् । तब शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने अर्जुनपर हाथ उठाना बंद कर दिया। फिर भी अर्जुनने उन्हें पचीस बाण मारे || ५४ है || सो&5तिविद्धो महेष्वासो दःशासनमभाषत
athainaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā kṣudrakāṇāṃ samārpayat |
Then Arjuna struck him with twenty-five small, swift arrows. Even as Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu, checked his own raised hand—restraining his impulse to strike—Arjuna continued to press the attack, wounding him with a concentrated volley. The scene underscores the harsh ethics of battlefield duty: restraint may arise in a warrior, yet the opposing side, bound to victory and obligation, does not pause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal restraint and martial duty: even if a warrior like Bhīṣma restrains himself in a moment, the opponent—bound to his own obligation and strategy—continues the fight. Dharma in war is shown as complex, where compassion or hesitation does not automatically suspend the demands of combat.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna shoots Bhīṣma with twenty-five light arrows in quick succession. The surrounding narrative context (as reflected in the provided passage) suggests Bhīṣma momentarily checks his raised hand, yet Arjuna continues to wound him, intensifying the battle pressure.