Shloka 8
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
प्रवीरान् सर्वलोकस्य धार्तराष्ट्रानू महारथान् । जघान समरे वीर: पाण्डव: परवीरहा
sañjaya uvāca |
pravīrān sarvalokasya dhārtarāṣṭrān mahārathān |
jaghāna samare vīraḥ pāṇḍavaḥ paravīrahā mahārāja ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, le vaillant Pāṇḍava —Bhīmasena, tueur de champions ennemis— frappa dans la mêlée les héros les plus éminents de toute l’armée, y compris tes grands combattants de char, les Dhārtarāṣṭra, les blessant l’un après l’autre de ses flèches.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-dharma in a righteous war: even celebrated warriors must face injury and defeat when duty and strategy demand it. It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension—valor and obligation operate within a framework that still produces widespread suffering.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava hero (understood as Bhīmasena) attacks and wounds the leading Kaurava great chariot-warriors in the thick of battle, striking them individually with arrows.