Shloka 79
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
तथा पाण्डवसैन्यानि बभज्ज युधि ते पिता । महाराज! जैसे पाण्डवोंने युद्धमें कौरव-सेनाओंको खदेड़ा था, उसी प्रकार आपके ताऊ भीष्मने भी पाण्डव-सेनाओंको मार भगाया ।। ७८ ह || हतविद्रुतसैन्यास्तु निरुत्साहा विचेतस:,घायल होकर भागे हुए सैनिक उत्साहशून्य और अचेत हो रहे थे। वे रणक्षेत्रमें अनुपम वीर भीष्मजीकी ओर आँख उठाकर देख भी न सके, ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे दोपहरमें अपने तेजसे तपते हुए सूर्यकी ओर कोई भी देख नहीं पाता
tathā pāṇḍavasainyāni babhajja yudhi te pitā | hatavidrutasainyās tu nirutsāhā vicetasaḥ | raṇakṣetre 'nupamaṃ vīraṃ bhīṣmaṃ taṃ naiva dṛṣṭum aśakan, yathā madhyāhne tapantaṃ sūryam iva ||
Sañjaya said: “Just as the Pāṇḍavas had earlier driven back the Kaurava forces in battle, so too did your grandsire Bhīṣma shatter the Pāṇḍava ranks and rout them. Those soldiers who were struck and fled became dispirited and bewildered; on the battlefield they could not even raise their eyes to look at the incomparable hero Bhīṣma—just as no one can gaze upon the blazing sun at midday.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how overwhelming prowess and steadfast leadership can collapse an opposing force’s morale: once soldiers are wounded and routed, they lose clarity and courage, becoming unable even to face the source of their fear. Ethically, it underscores a recurring Mahābhārata theme—victory and defeat are shaped not only by weapons but by inner steadiness (utsāha, cetas) and the awe inspired by exemplary warriors.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, fighting for the Kauravas, breaks and drives back the Pāṇḍava formations. The wounded and fleeing soldiers become demoralized and mentally shaken, unable to look at Bhīṣma on the battlefield, likened to the impossibility of staring at the blazing midday sun.