Shloka 23
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
व्यूढोरस्क॑ ततो भीम: पातयामास भारत | क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन सो5भवद् गतजीवित:,प्रजानाथ! भरतनन्दन! आपके पुत्रोंद्वारा बारंबार बाणोंकी वर्षासे आच्छादित किये जानेपर क्रोधपूर्वक अपने मुहके कोनोंको चाटते हुए सिंहके समान शौर्यका अभिमान रखनेवाले वीर भीमसेनने एक अत्यन्त तीखे क्षुरप्रके द्वारा आपके पुत्र व्यूढोरस्कको मार गिराया। उसकी जीवन-लीला समाप्त हो गयी
vyūḍhoraskaṃ tato bhīmaḥ pātayāmāsa bhārata | kṣurapreṇa sutīkṣṇena so 'bhavad gatajīvitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīma struck down Vyūḍhoraska, O descendant of Bharata. With a razor-edged, exceedingly sharp arrow, he brought him to the ground; thus Vyūḍhoraska’s life came to an end.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical terrain of kṣatriya-dharma in war: repeated aggression and battlefield necessity drive a warrior to decisive, lethal action, reminding the listener that valor and duty in combat often end in irrevocable death and sorrow.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma strikes down the warrior Vyūḍhoraska using an extremely sharp kṣurapra (razor-headed) arrow, killing him on the battlefield.