Shloka 4
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
धृष्टद्युम्न: शिखण्डी च विराटो द्रुपदस्तथा । भीष्ममासाद्य समरे शरैर्जघ्नुर्महारथम्
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca virāṭo drupadas tathā | bhīṣmam āsādya samare śaraiḥ jaghnur mahāratham ||
Sanjaya dit : Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Virata et Drupada s’avancèrent eux aussi vers Bhishma sur le champ de bataille et se mirent à frapper ce grand guerrier de char par des volées de flèches.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between reverence for elders and the demands of kṣatriya-dharma in war: when a powerful opponent endangers one’s side, duty can require coordinated action even against a venerable figure like Bhishma.
Sanjaya reports that four prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Virata, and Drupada—advance together toward Bhishma in the thick of battle and begin wounding him with arrows.