Shloka 17
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
तमासाद्य महावेगैर्भीष्मो नवभिराशुगै: । विव्याध समरे तूर्णमार्जुनिं परवीरहा,अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युको पाकर शत्रुवीरोंका हनन करनेवाले भीष्मने समरभूमिमें नौ शीघ्रगामी महावेगवान् बाणोंद्वारा तुरंत ही उन्हें वेध दिया
tam āsādya mahāvegair bhīṣmo navabhir āśugaiḥ | vivyādha samare tūrṇam arjunim paravīrahā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Setelah mendekatinya di medan laga, Bhīṣma—pembunuh para pahlawan musuh—segera menembus putra Arjuna dengan sembilan anak panah yang amat cepat dan dahsyat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of kṣatriya warfare: decisive action, mastery of arms, and steadfastness in duty amid conflict. It also implies that reputation and lineage do not shield one from the immediate consequences of battle; skill and resolve meet skill and resolve.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma closes in on his opponent and rapidly strikes him with nine swift, forceful arrows, demonstrating Bhīṣma’s dominance and the intense tempo of the Kurukṣetra fighting.