Shloka 18
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ध्वजं चास्य त्रिभिभल्लैक्षिच्छेद परमौजस: । सारथिं च त्रिभिबाणैराजघान यतव्रत:
dhvajaṃ cāsya tribhir bāṇaiś ciccheda paramaujasāḥ | sārathiṃ ca tribhir bāṇair ājaghāna yatavrataḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Le puissant Bhīṣma, d’une prouesse suprême, trancha son étendard de trois flèches ; et le gardien de vœu, maître de lui-même, frappa aussi le cocher de trois flèches. Dans l’éthique sombre de la guerre, cela révèle la discipline inébranlable et la précision meurtrière de Bhīṣma : il agit sans hésitation, tout en portant l’empreinte de l’austérité et de la retenue qui font sa renommée.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes ferocity in battle with inner discipline: Bhīṣma is portrayed as a vow-bound, self-restrained elder who nevertheless executes his martial duty with decisive precision. It highlights how personal austerity (vrata) can coexist with uncompromising action within one’s assigned role in war.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, using three arrows, first cuts down the opponent’s banner (a symbolic blow to identity and morale) and then, again with three arrows, strikes down the charioteer—an act that disables the chariot and intensifies the combat’s deadly momentum.