Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
ततः सूतव्यसनिन विप्लुतं मां स भार्गव: । शरेणाभ्यहनद् गाढं विकृष्य बलवद्धनु:
tataḥ sūtavyasanin viplutaṃ māṃ sa bhārgavaḥ | śareṇābhyahanad gāḍhaṃ vikṛṣya balavaddhanuḥ ||
तब, सारथि के अनर्थ से व्याकुल और विचलित मुझे, उस भार्गव ने अपने बलवान धनुष को पूरी तरह खींचकर एक बाण से गहरा आघात किया।
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights the tension between human vulnerability and warrior duty: even when one is personally shaken by loss, conflict driven by vows and martial codes may proceed without pause, raising ethical questions about compassion amid combat.
Bhīṣma narrates that, at a moment when he was distressed due to misfortune involving his charioteer, Paraśurāma (the Bhārgava) powerfully drew his bow and struck Bhīṣma with an arrow, intensifying their confrontation.