Shloka 11
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
स वक्षसि पपातोग्र: शरो व्याल इव श्वसन् | महीं राज॑स्ततश्चाहमगमं रुधिराविल:,राजन्! उनका चलाया हुआ वह भयंकर बाण फुफकारते हुए सर्पके समान सनसनाता हुआ मेरी छातीपर आकर लगा। उससे लहूलुहान होकर मैं पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
sa vakṣasi papātograḥ śaro vyāla iva śvasan | mahīṃ rajaḥ tataś cāham agamaṃ rudhirāvilaḥ, rājan |
Bhīṣma dijo: «¡Oh rey! Aquella flecha terrible cayó sobre mi pecho, silbando como una serpiente. Empapado en sangre, caí entonces a la tierra.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark reality of warfare: even the greatest warriors are subject to injury and collapse. It implicitly highlights kṣatriya-dharma—enduring danger and pain without abandoning one’s role—while reminding the listener of human vulnerability amid violent conflict.
Bhīṣma describes being hit in the chest by a fierce arrow that ‘hisses like a serpent.’ Wounded and bloodied, he falls to the ground, addressing the listener as ‘O King,’ indicating a direct, eyewitness-style account of a battlefield moment.