Shloka 29
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
प्रत्यविध्यदमेयात्मा किरीटी भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न
sañjaya uvāca | pratyavidhyad ameyātmā kirīṭī bharatarṣabha | bharataśreṣṭha! tatpaścāt ameya ātmabalena sampannaḥ kirīṭadhārī puruṣasiṃhaḥ arjunaḥ bhīṣmaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā kṛpācāryaṃ navabhiḥ droṇaṃ ṣaṣṭyā vikarṇaṃ tribhiḥ śalyaṃ tribhiḥ tathā rājānaṃ duryodhanaṃ pañcabhiḥ bāṇaiḥ ghālayāmāsa ||
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, the diadem-wearing Arjuna—of immeasurable spirit and strength—then struck his foes with unerring arrows: Bhīṣma with twenty-five, Kṛpa with nine, Droṇa with sixty, Vikarna with three, Śalya with three, and King Duryodhana with five. The scene shows the grim discipline of war, where prowess and resolve are displayed without hesitation, even against revered elders and kinsmen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kshatriya ethic of resolute action in battle: Arjuna, endowed with immense inner strength, performs his martial duty without wavering, even when the opponents include elders and teachers. It reflects the Mahabharata’s tension between reverence for persons and commitment to one’s role-bound obligations (dharma) in a tragic war.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna, wearing his diadem, shoots multiple leading Kaurava warriors—Bhishma, Kripa, Drona, Vikarna, Shalya, and Duryodhana—wounding each with a specified number of arrows. The detail emphasizes Arjuna’s battlefield dominance and the escalating intensity of the Kurukshetra combat.