Shloka 516
भीष्म-युधिष्ठिर-संमर्दः
Bhīṣma’s Pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira; Śikhaṇḍī’s Approach; Evening Withdrawal
स पपात ततो भूमौ वज्राहत इव द्रुम: । तत्पश्चात् लक्ष्यको शीघ्र मार गिरानेवाले एक दूसरे भल्ल नामक बाणका उत्तम रीतिसे प्रयोग करके क्रोधमें भरे हुए शतानीकने दुष्कर्णके हृदयमें अत्यन्त गहरा आघात किया। इससे दुष्कर्ण वज्राहत वृक्षकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
sa papāta tato bhūmau vajrāhata iva drumaḥ | tatpaścāt lakṣyakaḥ śīghraṃ mar-girānevale eka-dūsare bhalla-nāmaka bāṇasya uttama-rītise prayogaṃ kṛtvā krodha-bhare śatānīkena duṣkarṇasya hṛdaye atyanta-gahīram āghātaṃ kṛtaḥ | tataḥ duṣkarṇaḥ vajrāhata-vṛkṣa iva pṛthivyāṃ nipapāta |
Sañjaya said: Struck down, he fell to the earth like a tree shattered by a thunderbolt. Then, swiftly taking aim, Śatānīka—his anger fully kindled—skillfully loosed a keen bhalla-arrow and drove it deep into Duṣkarṇa’s heart. Wounded thus, Duṣkarṇa collapsed upon the ground like a thunderbolt-smitten tree.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of wrath in war: even within kṣatriya combat, anger accelerates lethal action and brings swift, irreversible consequences—reminding the listener of the fragility of life amid dharma-bound conflict.
Sañjaya reports that after a warrior falls like a thunderbolt-struck tree, Śatānīka quickly takes aim and, in anger, shoots a bhalla-arrow that pierces Duṣkarṇa’s heart, causing Duṣkarṇa to collapse to the earth.