Shloka 39
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
न चैनं॑ वारयामासुर्व्यात्ताननममिवान्तकम्
sañjaya uvāca | na cainaṃ vārayāmāsur vyāttānanaṃ ivāntakam |
Sañjaya dit : Ils ne purent arrêter Bhīṣma, tel la Mort elle-même aux mâchoires béantes. Et lorsque vint le dixième jour, Bhīṣma se mit à réduire en cendres les troupes de chars de Śikhaṇḍī par le feu flamboyant de ses flèches acérées, comme un incendie de forêt dévore les bois.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the unstoppable momentum of adharma-driven violence once war is fully engaged: even great warriors cannot easily ‘check’ a force like Bhīṣma when duty, wrath, and battlefield necessity converge. It invites reflection on dharma’s tragic dimension—right action in war may still entail devastating harm.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma could not be restrained and appeared like Death with open jaws. As the tenth day dawns, Bhīṣma showers sharp arrows that burn through Śikhaṇḍī’s chariot-troops, likened to a forest-fire consuming a forest.