Shloka 8
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
तौ तत्र रथिनां श्रेष्ठो कौन्तेयौ भरतर्षभौ,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी
sañjaya uvāca | tau tatra rathināṃ śreṣṭho kaunteyau bharatarṣabhau | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarccchat kaḍukabarhiṇavājitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: There, the foremost of chariot-warriors—the two sons of Kuntī, those bulls among the Bharatas—struck each opponent with three arrows, feathered with the plumes of the kaḍuka bird. In the same manner he pierced Suśarmā and Kṛpācārya with three arrows each. Then, on the battlefield, he inflicted sharp pain—again with three such plume-feathered shafts upon each—on Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa; Jayadratha, king of Sindhu; and also on Citraseṇa, Vikarṇa, Kṛtavarmā, Durmiṣaṇa, and the great chariot-warriors Vinda and Anuvinda. The passage highlights the relentless momentum of war: prowess is displayed through disciplined, measured strikes, yet the ethical weight of violence remains ever-present in the unfolding dharma-conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the disciplined execution of kṣatriya duty in war—measured, repeated strikes against multiple foes—while implicitly reminding the listener that even skillful valor operates within the heavy moral atmosphere of a dharma-conflict.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield sequence in which the leading Kaunteya hero(es) rapidly pierce prominent Kaurava-side warriors—Suśarmā, Kṛpa, Bhagadatta, Jayadratha, and others—each with three feathered arrows, spreading pain and disruption across the enemy line.