Shloka 84
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
महारथं भारत दुष्प्रकम्पं शरौधिणं प्रतपन्तं नरेन्द्रान् । भीष्म न शेकुः प्रतिवीक्षितुं ते शरार्चिषं सूर्यमिवातपन्तम्
mahārathaṃ bhārata duṣprakampaṃ śaraughiṇaṃ pratapantaṃ narendrān | bhīṣma na śekuḥ prativīkṣituṃ te śarārcīṣaṃ sūryam ivātapantam, bhārata!
हे भारत! महारथी भीष्म अडिग होकर बाणों की घनघोर वर्षा करते और पाण्डव-पक्षीय नरेशों को संतप्त करते थे। बाणरूपी किरणों से दीप्त, सूर्य की भाँति तपते हुए भीष्म की ओर वे देख भी न पाते थे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of steadfast resolve and mastery in one’s duty (kṣatriya-dharma). At the same time, it gestures toward the ethical complexity of the Mahābhārata: even a venerable, principled elder like Bhīṣma can become an instrument of devastation when bound by vows and loyalties in a civil war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma stands firm on the battlefield, releasing dense volleys of arrows that torment the Pāṇḍava-aligned kings. Bhīṣma appears radiant and unbearable to face—likened to the blazing sun—so that opponents cannot even look directly at him.