Shloka 11
तस्य ते निशितान् बाणान् संनिवार्य महारथा:
sañjaya uvāca | tasya te niśitān bāṇān saṁnivārya mahārathāḥ | atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṁ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ayant paré ses flèches acérées, les grands guerriers de char — tous les Sṛñjayas unis — assaillirent Bhīṣma dans la bataille, le frappant de toutes parts. Dans leur fureur concertée, ils voulurent submerger l’aïeul sous une tempête d’armes, le pressant sans relâche au milieu du tumulte guerrier.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield tension between individual prowess and collective effort: even a towering warrior like Bhīṣma can be pressured when opponents act in disciplined unity. Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma in its harsh form—duty-bound combat—while also implying the strategic necessity of restraint and coordination rather than reckless single combat.
Sañjaya describes how the Sṛñjaya warriors, acting together, first ward off Bhīṣma’s sharp arrows and then counterattack, striking him repeatedly on the battlefield from all sides.