Shloka 28
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
यो<भ्यवर्षत कौन्तेयान् सपाज्चालान् ससृंजयान् । निघ्नन् पररथान् वीरो दानवानिव वज्रभूत्,वीरवर भीष्मने शत्रुपक्षके रथियों--कुन्तीकुमारों, पांचालों तथा सूंजयोंको मारते हुए उनके ऊपर उसी प्रकार बाणोंकी बौछार की, जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्र दानवोंपर बाणवर्षा करते हैं
yo 'bhyavarṣat kaunteyān sa-pāñcālān sa-sṛñjayān | nighnan para-rathān vīro dānavān iva vajrabhṛt ||
Sang pahlawan itu menghujani putra-putra Kuntī—bersama Pāñcāla dan Sṛñjaya—dengan anak panah; sambil merobohkan para kesatria di kereta pihak lawan, ia laksana Indra pemegang vajra yang menurunkan kebinasaan atas para Dānava.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how epic poetry frames battlefield prowess through divine analogy (Indra vs. Dānavas), while implicitly reminding the listener that even celebrated heroism operates within the grim ethical reality of fratricidal war—where dharma and destruction coexist in tension.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes a Kaurava-side hero (contextually, Bhīṣma in this section) unleashing a heavy volley of arrows against the Pāṇḍavas and their allies, cutting down enemy chariot-warriors, likened to Indra’s assault on the Dānavas.