Shloka 12
भीष्मरथाभिमुख्यं — Arjuna’s advance with Śikhaṇḍin; Duḥśāsana’s interception
सोअन्यत् कार्मुकमादाय भीष्म विव्याध पञ्चभि: । सारथिं च त्रिभिर्बाणै: सुशितै रणमूर्धनि,तब उन्होंने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर युद्धके मुहानेपर पाँच तीखे बाणोंद्वारा भीष्मको और तीन बाणोंसे उनके सारथिको भी घायल कर दिया
so 'nyat kārmukam ādāya bhīṣmaṁ vivyādha pañcabhiḥ | sārathiṁ ca tribhir bāṇaiḥ suśitai raṇamūrdhani ||
Sañjaya said: Taking up another bow, he struck Bhīṣma with five keen arrows; and on the very forefront of the battle he also wounded Bhīṣma’s charioteer with three well-honed shafts. The verse underscores the relentless, skill-driven violence of the battlefield, where even attendants become targets as warriors seek tactical advantage and momentum in a dharma-fractured war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethical tension of Kurukṣetra: martial excellence and tactical necessity operate within a war where dharma is strained. Even non-royal participants like charioteers are drawn into harm, showing how conflict expands suffering beyond principal combatants.
In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior (implied by context) switches to another bow and shoots Bhīṣma with five sharp arrows, then strikes Bhīṣma’s charioteer with three arrows at the very front of the fighting.