Shloka 23
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
ततो भीष्मो महाराज सर्वलोकमहारथ:
tato bhīṣmo mahārāja sarvalokamahārathaḥ, vikarṇo daśabhir bhallai rājann vivyādha pāṇḍavam |
Sañjaya said: Then, O great king, Bhīṣma—renowned in all the worlds as a foremost chariot-warrior—together with Vikarṇa, pierced Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, with sharp bhalla-arrows. Thereafter the leading Kaurava champions, intent on overpowering him, struck him again and again: Bhīṣma with seventy-seven arrows, Droṇa with twenty-five, Kṛpa with fifty, Duryodhana with sixty-four, Śalya with nine, Jayadratha with nine, Śakuni with five, and Vikarṇa with ten bhalla-shafts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: renowned warriors relentlessly strike a principal opponent. Ethically, it underscores the heavy consequence of violence performed under royal and martial duty, reminding the listener that fame and prowess do not remove the moral gravity of harming others.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, celebrated as a supreme chariot-warrior, and Vikarṇa attack Arjuna, wounding him with bhalla-arrows. It is part of the escalating exchange of missiles in the Kurukṣetra battle.