Shloka 85
अपतत् सहसा राजन् महोल्केव नभस्तलात्,अष्टभिनवभ्रिर्भीष्म: शक्ति चिच्छेद पत्रिभि: । राजन्! वह शक्ति आकाशसे बहुत बड़ी उल्काके समान सहसा गिरी। अन्तरिक्षमें ज्वालाओंसे घिरी हुई-सी उस प्रज्वलित शक्तिको देखकर आपके पिता देवव्रतको तनिक भी घबराहट नहीं हुई। उन्होंने आठ-नौ बाण मारकर उसके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये
apatat sahasā rājan maholkeva nabhastalāt | aṣṭabhir navabhir bhīṣmaḥ śaktiṃ ciccheda patribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, that spear suddenly fell from the sky like a great meteor. Seeing it blazing in midair, as though encircled by flames, your father Devavrata (Bhīṣma) did not waver in the least; with eight or nine arrows he cut the weapon into fragments.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadiness under sudden danger is presented as a mark of kṣatriya-dharma: Bhīṣma’s lack of panic and his precise response show disciplined courage and mastery, where fear is subordinated to duty and trained skill.
A blazing spear-like missile drops from the sky like a meteor. Bhīṣma, unshaken, counters immediately by shooting eight or nine arrows that slice the incoming weapon into pieces before it can strike.