Shloka 115
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
एवं जीवितमादाय श्वेतदेहाज्जगाम ह । जैसे डूबता हुआ सूर्य अपनी प्रभा साथ लेकर शीघ्र ही अस्त हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार वह बाण श्वेतके शरीरसे उसके प्राण लेकर चला गया ।। ११४ ह ।। त॑ भीष्मेण नरव्यात्रं तथा विनिहतं युधि
evaṁ jīvitam ādāya śvetadehāj jagāma ha | tatha bhīṣmeṇa naravyāghraṁ vinītaṁ yudhi ||
Sañjaya said: Thus, taking away his very life, the arrow departed from Śveta’s body. As the sinking sun swiftly sets while carrying its radiance with it, so did that shaft leave—having borne away Śveta’s breath. In this manner, the tiger among men was struck down in battle by Bhīṣma, underscoring the grim certainty of mortality amid righteous war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of death in the battlefield and the solemn gravity of kṣatriya-dharma: even the most radiant hero can be extinguished swiftly, like the sun setting, reminding listeners to see war as a realm of duty and consequence rather than mere triumph.
Sañjaya describes Śveta being struck down by Bhīṣma. The arrow is poetically said to ‘take away’ Śveta’s life as it leaves his body, compared to the sun that sets while carrying its light—emphasizing the suddenness and finality of the blow.