Shloka 46
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
त एनं शरवर्षेण समन्तात् पर्यवारयन् | गजं च शरवृष्ट्या तु बिभिदुस्ते समन््तत:,उस समय अभिमन्यु आदि महारथी भीमका इस प्रकार बाणोंसे आच्छादित हो जाना सहन न कर सके। वे अपने बाहुबलका आश्रय ले युद्धमें भगदत्तपर सब ओरसे बाणोंकी वर्षा करते हुए उन्हें रोकने लगे। उन्होंने अपने बाणोंकी वृष्टिसे भगदत्तके हाथीको भी सब ओरसे छेद डाला
te enaṁ śaravarṣeṇa samantāt paryavārayan | gajaṁ ca śaravṛṣṭyā tu bibhidus te samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: They hemmed him in from every side with a rain of arrows; and with that very shower of shafts they also pierced the elephant on all sides.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in a dharma-framed war, warriors often respond to overwhelming force with coordinated resistance. Ethically, it raises the tension between necessary martial duty (checking a dangerous opponent) and the tragic escalation of harm, extending even to mounts like the elephant.
A group of warriors surrounds a key fighter with a dense rain of arrows, effectively blocking him from all sides; in the same barrage they also wound and pierce the elephant he is associated with, indicating an intense attempt to neutralize the threat by targeting both combatant and mount.