Shloka 45

भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः

Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed

Devanagari script

सौमदत्तिरथो भीममाजघान स्तनान्तरे

Transliteration

saumadattiratho bhīmam ājaghāna stanāntare

Translation

संजय बोले—सौमदत्ति (सोमदत्त का पुत्र) ने रथ पर से भीम को वक्षस्थल में आघात किया।

Word by Word

• सौमदत्तिः: Somadatta's son (Bhūriśravas)
• सौमदत्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौमदत्ति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथः: chariot
• रथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमम्: Bhīma
• भीमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आजघान: struck, smote
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• स्तन-अन्तरे: in the space between the breasts (on the chest)
• स्तन-अन्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन + अन्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas)
• Bhīma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncompromising reality of kṣatriya-dharma in war: duty is enacted amid physical danger and suffering, and steadfastness is tested through direct confrontation rather than abstract ideals.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a specific blow in battle: Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), fighting from his chariot, strikes Bhīma on the chest, marking an intense exchange among leading warriors on the Kurukṣetra field.