Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Stuti of Keśava and Counsel on Nara–Nārāyaṇa (भीष्म-स्तवः; नरनारायण-प्रसङ्गः)
त॑ पञज्चतालोच्छिततालकेतु: सदश्ववेगाद्भुतवीर्ययान: । महास्त्रबाणाशनिदीप्तिमन्तं किरीटिनं शान्तनवो<भ्यधावत्,भीष्मका ध्वज पाँच तालवृक्षोंसे चिह्नित और ऊँचा था। उनके रथमें अच्छे घोड़े जुते हुए थे, जिनके वेगसे वह रथ अद्भुत शक्तिशाली जान पड़ता था। उसपर आरूढ़ होकर शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने किरीटधारी अर्जुनपर धावा किया, जो बाण और अशनि आदि महान् दिव्यास्त्रोंकी दीप्तिसे उद्दीप्त हो रहे थे ततः सांयमने: पुत्र: पाज्चाल्यं युद्धदुर्मदम् । अविध्यत् त्रिंशता बाणैर्दशभिश्चास्य सारथिम्
pañcatālocchitatālāketuḥ sad-aśvavegād-bhutavīryayānaḥ | mahāstrabāṇāśanidīptimantaṃ kirīṭinaṃ śāntanavo 'bhyadhāvat || tataḥ sāṃyamaneḥ putraḥ pāñcālyaṃ yuddhadurmadam | avidhyat triṃśatā bāṇair daśabhiś cāsya sārathim ||
Sañjaya said: Bhīṣma, Śāntanu’s son, whose banner bore the mark of five towering palmyra trees and whose chariot—yoked to splendid horses—seemed to surge with astonishing might, charged straight at Arjuna, the diadem-wearer, blazing with the radiance of great divine weapons like arrows and thunderbolts. Then the son of Sāṃyamani struck the Pāñcāla warrior, maddened for battle, with thirty arrows, and also struck his charioteer with ten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: even righteous and venerable figures like Bhīṣma, bound by vows and allegiance, participate in destructive conflict. It points to how dharma in war is often duty-bound and tragic—valor and skill do not erase the moral weight of violence, and loyalty can compel actions with grave consequences.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s formidable advance toward Arjuna, emphasizing Bhīṣma’s banner, swift horses, and the blazing power of divine weapons. Immediately after, another warrior identified as Sāṃyamani’s son shoots a Pāñcāla fighter with thirty arrows and wounds his charioteer with ten, showing the rapid, multi-front intensity of the battle.