Shloka 8
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
तौ तत्र रथिनां श्रेष्ठो कौन्तेयौ भरतर्षभौ
sañjaya uvāca | tau tatra rathināṃ śreṣṭho kaunteyau bharatarṣabhau | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarccchat kaḍukabarhiṇavājitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Là, le plus éminent des guerriers de char—les deux fils de Kuntī, taureaux parmi les Bhārata—frappa chaque adversaire de trois flèches, empennées des plumes de l’oiseau kaḍuka. De même, il perça Suśarmā et Kṛpācārya de trois flèches chacun. Puis, sur le champ de bataille, il infligea une douleur aiguë—encore par trois de ces traits emplumés—à Bhagadatta, roi de Prāgjyotiṣa; à Jayadratha, roi du Sindhu; ainsi qu’à Citraseṇa, Vikarṇa, Kṛtavarmā, Durmiṣaṇa, et aux grands guerriers de char Vinda et Anuvinda.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the disciplined execution of kṣatriya duty in war—measured, repeated strikes against multiple foes—while implicitly reminding the listener that even skillful valor operates within the heavy moral atmosphere of a dharma-conflict.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield sequence in which the leading Kaunteya hero(es) rapidly pierce prominent Kaurava-side warriors—Suśarmā, Kṛpa, Bhagadatta, Jayadratha, and others—each with three feathered arrows, spreading pain and disruption across the enemy line.