Shloka 8
स शेते शरतल्पस्थो मेदिनीमस्पृशंस्तदा,वे पृथ्वीका स्पर्श किये बिना ही उस समय बाणशय्यापर सो रहे थे। भीष्मके रथसे गिरकर धरतीपर पड़ जानेपर समस्त प्राणियोंमें भयंकर हाहाकार मच गया
sa śete śaratālpastho medinīm aspṛśaṃs tadā | bhīṣmasya rathato bhūmau patite sarvabhūteṣu bhayaṅkaraḥ hāhākāro 'bhavat ||
Sañjaya said: At that time Bhīṣma lay upon a bed of arrows, not touching the earth. When Bhīṣma fell from his chariot onto the ground, a dreadful cry of lamentation arose among all beings. The scene reveals both the terrible cost of war and the extraordinary, vow-bound endurance of Bhīṣma, sustained amid suffering by steadfast resolve and dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war—its capacity to shake all beings with grief—while also presenting Bhīṣma as an exemplar of steadfastness under suffering, sustained by his vows and commitment to dharma even in extreme pain.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma after being struck down: he lies on a bed of arrows without touching the ground. His fall from the chariot triggers a widespread, fearful lamentation, signaling the magnitude of the event on the battlefield.