Shloka 33
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
जाम्बूनदमय: श्रीमान् केसरी स नरोत्तम | पपात भीमसेनस्य भीष्मेण मथितो रथात्,नरश्रेष्ठ भीमसेनका वह सुवर्णमय सुन्दर ध्वज सिंहके चिह्नसे युक्त था। वह भीष्मके द्वारा काट दिये जानेपर रथसे नीचे गिर पड़ा
jāmbūnadamayaḥ śrīmān kesarī sa narottamaḥ | papāta bhīmasenasya bhīṣmeṇa mathito rathāt ||
Sañjaya said: The splendid, lion-emblazoned standard of Bhīmasena—made of Jāmbūnada gold—was struck down by Bhīṣma and fell from the chariot. The scene underscores how, in the harsh ethics of battlefield duty, even the proud insignia of a great warrior can be brought low by a superior opponent’s prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial glory and outward symbols of power (like a splendid banner) are fragile in war; kṣatriya-duty demands steadfastness even when one’s pride and insignia are humbled by an opponent’s superior skill.
During the Kurukṣetra battle, Bhīṣma strikes down Bhīmasena’s magnificent, lion-marked, gold-made standard so that it falls from the chariot—signaling Bhīṣma’s dominance in that exchange and a setback to Bhīma’s visible battlefield prestige.