Shloka 9
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
स तेनाभिहतो वीरो ललाटे द्विजसत्तम: । अशोभत महाराज सशज़् इव पर्वत:,उस बाणने विप्रवर वीर परशुरामजीके ललाटमें चोट पहुँचायी। महाराज! उसके कारण वे शिखरयुक्त पर्वतके समान शोभा पाने लगे
sa tenābhihato vīro lalāṭe dvijasattamaḥ | aśobhat mahārāja saśṛṅga iva parvataḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Herido por aquella flecha, el héroe, el más excelso entre los dos veces nacidos—Paraśurāma—recibió un golpe en la frente. Oh rey, con esa marca resplandecía como una montaña coronada por su cima.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in righteous combat, even the most revered person is not exempt from the tangible results of violence; yet true valor and steadfastness can make even a wound a mark of dignity rather than disgrace.
During the Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma confrontation, Paraśurāma is struck on the forehead by an arrow; Bhīṣma describes how, with that injury, he appears splendid—likened to a mountain with a prominent peak.