Shloka 10
भीष्मस्तु वेदनां धैर्यान्निगृह्म भरतर्षभ । अभितप्त: शरैश्वैव नि:श्वसन्नुरगो यथा
bhīṣmas tu vedanāṃ dhairyān nigṛhya bharatarṣabha | abhitaptaḥ śaraiś caiva niḥśvasann urago yathā ||
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, Bhīṣma, restraining his pain through steadfast courage, lay scorched by arrows and drew long breaths like a serpent. Even amid the burning torment of weapons, he endured with composure—an image of disciplined fortitude in the very heart of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dhairya (steadfast courage) as a dharmic discipline: even when overwhelmed by bodily suffering, one restrains reactive distress and maintains composure. In the epic’s ethical frame, such self-mastery is a hallmark of kṣatriya endurance and inner governance amid chaos.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma has been grievously wounded by arrows and is burning with pain, breathing heavily like a serpent. Despite the torment, he restrains his suffering through courage, continuing to face the battlefield reality with controlled endurance.