Shloka 22
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
स च्छाद्यमानो बहुधा पुत्रैस्तव विशाम्पते । सृक्किणी संलिहन् वीर: शार्दूल इव दर्पित:
sa cchādyamāno bahudhā putrais tava viśāmpate | sṛkkīṇī saṁlihan vīraḥ śārdūla iva darpitaḥ ||
Wahai penguasa rakyat, meski berkali-kali diselimuti dari segala arah oleh hujan anak panah putra-putramu, sang kesatria—menjilat sudut bibirnya karena murka—tetap tegak, laksana harimau yang pongah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethos under kṣatriya-dharma: even when overwhelmed by enemy missiles, a fighter is expected to maintain resolve and courage. Ethically, it also underscores how anger and pride intensify violence in war, leading swiftly to irreversible outcomes—death and grief—especially for those bound by loyalty to a doomed cause.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a battlefield moment where a hero, though showered with arrows by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, remains fierce like a proud tiger. In the immediate context of this passage, Bhīmasena, enraged, uses a sharp kṣurapra arrow to strike down Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Vyūḍhoraska, ending his life.