Shloka 456
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
नाराचेन सुतीक्ष्णेन रुक्मपुड्खेन संयुगे | तदनन्तर सोमदत्तकुमारने युद्धस्थलमें सुवर्णमय पंखसे युक्त अत्यन्त तीखे नाराचद्वारा भीमसेनकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | nārācena sutīkṣṇena rukmapuṅkhena saṃyuge | tadanantaraṃ somadattakumāreṇa yuddhasthale suvarṇamaya-paṅkha-yuktenātyanta-tīkṣṇa-nārācena bhīmasenasya chātiṃ prahṛtā |
Sañjaya dit : Puis, au plus fort de la bataille, le fils de Somadatta frappa Bhimasena à la poitrine d’une flèche nārāca, tranchante comme un rasoir, montée sur un fût aux plumes d’or. L’épisode souligne la précision implacable de la guerre, où la prouesse se mesure à la maîtrise et à la visée, tandis que la violence éprouve l’attachement au devoir des kṣatriya au milieu d’une haine grandissante.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya world of disciplined martial skill: even amid hatred and chaos, a warrior’s duty is expressed through controlled aim and steadfast engagement. Ethically, it points to how war magnifies both prowess and the moral burden of inflicting harm.
Sanjaya reports that Somadatta’s son (Bhūriśravas) shoots Bhima in the chest with an extremely sharp nārāca arrow fitted with golden feathering, describing a specific strike within the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.