Shloka 526
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
सारथिं कुरुवृद्धस्य निर्बिभेद शितै: शरै: । श्रीकृष्णको घायल हुआ देख अर्जुन अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे और उन्होंने तीखे सायकोंद्वारा कुरुकुलवृद्ध भीष्मके सारथिको विदीर्ण कर डाला
sārathim kuruvṛddhasya nirbibheda śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | śrīkṛṣṇo ghāyalaḥ iti dṛṣṭvā arjunaḥ atyantaṁ kupito 'bhavat, sa ca tīkṣṇaiḥ sāyakaiḥ kurukulavṛddha-bhīṣmasya sārathiṁ vidīrṇavān |
Sañjaya said: Seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa wounded, Arjuna flared up in intense anger. With sharp arrows he pierced and tore apart the charioteer of the aged Bhīṣma, the elder of the Kuru line. The moment underscores how devotion to one’s guide and protector can surge into fierce resolve on the battlefield, even as it raises ethical tension about striking those who are not the principal combatants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral pressure of war: devotion and protective duty toward one’s leader (Kṛṣṇa) can ignite fierce action, yet it also exposes ethical strain—whether it is righteous to target supporting personnel like a charioteer rather than the main warrior.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna, seeing Kṛṣṇa wounded, becomes intensely enraged and responds by shooting sharp arrows that pierce and tear apart Bhīṣma’s charioteer.