Shloka 50

Devanagari script

ततो भीष्म: शान्तनवो नित्यं मण्डलकार्मुक:ः । मुमोच बाणान्‌ दीप्ताग्रानहीनाशीविषानिव,उस समय शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म अपने धनुषको खींचकर गोल बना देते और उसके द्वारा विषैले सर्पोंकी भाँति भयंकर प्रज्वलित अग्रभागवाले बाणोंकी निरन्तर वर्षा करते थे

Transliteration

tato bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo nityaṁ maṇḍalakārmukaḥ | mumoca bāṇān dīptāgrān ahīn āśīviṣān iva ||

Translation

Lalu Bhīṣma, putra Śāntanu, yang senantiasa mahir menarik busur dengan sapuan melingkar, melepaskan anak-anak panah berujung menyala—mengerikan laksana ular berbisa—mencurahkannya tanpa jeda.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

भीष्मःBhishma

शान्तनवःson of Shantanu

नित्यम्constantly, always

मण्डलकार्मुकःhaving a circular-bent bow / making the bow into a circle

मुमोचreleased, let go (shot)

बाणान्arrows

दीप्ताग्रान्having blazing tips

अहीनnot deficient, unbroken (i.e., fully effective)

आशीविषान्venomous serpents

इवlike, as if

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

Śāntanu

bow (kārmuka)

arrows (bāṇa)

venomous serpents (āśīviṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the awe-inspiring power of disciplined skill in warfare, while implicitly reminding the reader that such mastery, when deployed in a fratricidal war, intensifies the tragedy of adharma-driven conflict; prowess is ethically weighty because its effects are immense.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma on the battlefield continuously releasing blazing, deadly arrows, compared to venomous serpents, indicating a sustained and overwhelming assault against the opposing forces.