Shloka 41
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
तोमरं च द्विधा चक्रे क्षुरप्रेणानिलात्मज: । पट्टिशं च त्रिभि्णिश्विच्छेद तिलकाण्डवत्
sañjaya uvāca | tomaraṃ ca dvidhā cakre kṣurapreṇānilātmajaḥ | paṭṭiśaṃ ca tribhir iṣubhiś ciccheda tilakāṇḍavat ||
Sañjaya dijo: El hijo del dios del Viento (Bhīmasena) partió el tomara en dos con una flecha de punta afilada como navaja; y con tres saetas hizo pedazos el paṭṭiśa, como quien corta el tallo de una planta de tilaka. La escena subraya la feroz determinación y la disciplina marcial de Bhīma: frente a armas mortíferas, no responde sólo con ira, sino con destreza contenida y propósito inquebrantable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, the text highlights disciplined prowess: a warrior’s duty is carried out through steadiness, precision, and mastery over impulse—strength guided by control rather than mere fury.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma counters incoming weapons by expertly severing them mid-flight: he splits a tomara with a razor-headed arrow and then chops a paṭṭiśa into fragments with three arrows, likened to cutting a thin plant-stalk.