Shloka 216
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति उपालम्भः
Bhīṣma’s Reproof to Duryodhana
मुमोच भरतश्रेष्ठो निशाचरबलं प्रति । तत्पश्चात् अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न भरतश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनने उस निशाचरसेनाके ऊपर दुर्धर्ष बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ की
mumoca bharataśreṣṭho niśācarabalaṁ prati | tatpaścāt ameya ātmabalasampannaḥ bharataśreṣṭhaḥ duryodhanaḥ niśācarasenāyā upari durdharṣabāṇavarṣaṁ ārabhata |
Sañjaya said: Then Duryodhana, the foremost of the Bharatas—endowed with immeasurable strength of spirit—released his missiles against the host of night-roving warriors. After that, he began an irresistible shower of arrows upon that rākṣasa army.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya resolve and battlefield leadership: inner strength (ātma-bala) manifests as decisive action. Ethically, it also underscores how war amplifies force and retaliation—valor is praised, yet the narrative context reminds the reader that such power is exercised within the tragic momentum of conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana turns his attack toward a niśācara (rākṣasa-like) force and begins an intense, hard-to-resist barrage of arrows, attempting to overwhelm that host through sustained missile fire.