Shloka 15
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
सा पाण्डवेन प्रहिता बाह्लीकस्य शिरो5हरत्
sā pāṇḍavena prahitā bāhlīkasya śiro ’harat
Sañjaya said: Discharged by the Pāṇḍava warrior, that missile struck true and severed Bāhlīka’s head—an image of the war’s ruthless finality, where prowess and fate converge and even venerable elders fall when adharma-driven conflict reaches its peak.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma in total war: once conflict is embraced and escalates, even respected elders become vulnerable, and victory is purchased through irreversible loss—highlighting the destructive momentum of adharma-fueled hostility.
Sañjaya reports that a weapon hurled by a Pāṇḍava warrior strikes Bāhlīka and severs his head, marking Bāhlīka’s fall in the Drona Parva battle sequence.