Shloka 49
विधूय तान् बाणगणान् ये मुक्ता: पार्थिवोत्तमै: ४८ ।।
vidhūya tān bāṇagaṇān ye muktāḥ pārthivottamaiḥ | pāṇḍavānām adīnātma vyagāhat varūthinīm || cakre śaravighātaṃ ca krīḍann iva pitāmahaḥ |
Dijo Sañjaya: Sacudiéndose las andanadas de flechas disparadas por los más excelsos reyes, Bhīṣma—de ánimo imperturbable—se lanzó dentro del gran dispositivo de batalla de los Pāṇḍava. Allí el abuelo, como si jugara, comenzó a quebrar con sus propios dardos las armas y proyectiles de los guerreros, mostrando maestría en la guerra, aunque por dentro seguía regido por la contención y el recuerdo de antiguos votos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid righteous warfare, mastery is not merely force but disciplined restraint: Bhīṣma’s prowess is paired with an inner governance shaped by memory of vows and ethical limits, showing that dharma operates through self-control as much as through courage.
Bhīṣma brushes aside the arrows shot by leading warriors and boldly enters the Pandavas’ formation. He then disables their weapons and missiles with his own arrows, fighting with effortless skill, ‘as if playing,’ while remaining mindful of constraints that temper his actions.