Shloka 16
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
अथैनं दशभिरन्बाणिस्तोत्रैरिव महाद्विपम् । आजपघान रणे वीरं स्मयन्निव महारथ:,इसके बाद महारथी भीमने मुसकराते हुए-से रणभूमिमें वीरवर दुर्योधनको दस बाणोंसे उसी तरह घायल किया, जैसे महावत अंकुशोंसे महान् गजराजको पीड़ा देता है
athainaṁ daśabhir anubāṇais totrair iva mahādvipam | ājaghāna raṇe vīraṁ smayann iva mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the great chariot-warrior struck that hero in battle with ten follow-up arrows, as though goading a mighty elephant with a driver’s hook, almost as if with a faint smile.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, skill and dominance can be expressed with unsettling ease—“as if smiling.” It invites reflection on the ethical tension in kṣatriya-duty: even when battle is framed as duty, the manner of violence (confidence, relish, restraint, or cruelty) carries moral weight.
Sañjaya describes a great chariot-warrior striking a heroic opponent with ten successive arrows in the midst of battle, likening the repeated blows to an elephant being prodded by a goad—emphasizing forceful control and the intensity of the exchange.