Shloka 16
सप्तैते परमक्रुद्धा: किरीटिनमभिद्रुता: । तत्र शस्त्राणि दिव्यानि दर्शयन्तो महारथा:,अताडयन् रणे भीष्मं सहिता: सर्वसृञज्जया: । समस्त सूंजय वीर एक साथ संगठित हो भयंकर शतघ्नी, परिघ, फरसे, मुद्गर, मुसल, प्रास, गोफन, स्वर्णमय पंखवाले बाण, शक्ति, तोमर, कम्पन, नाराच, वत्सदन््त और भुशुण्डी आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें भीष्मको सब ओरसे पीड़ा देने लगे
saptaite paramakruddhāḥ kirīṭinam abhidrūtāḥ | tatra śastrāṇi divyāni darśayanto mahārathāḥ, atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṃ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Seven of those great chariot-warriors, inflamed with extreme wrath, rushed upon the diademed one (Arjuna). There, displaying their celestial weapons, all the Sṛñjayas together struck Bhīṣma in the battle. In the moral tension of the war, this scene shows how collective fury and martial prowess are turned against a single venerable elder—Bhīṣma—whose very presence embodies duty and the tragic cost of allegiance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of war: even revered elders like Bhīṣma become targets when duty and factional allegiance harden into collective wrath. It underscores how martial excellence (divine weapons, mahārathas) can intensify conflict, raising questions about restraint and righteousness amid necessary kṣatriya action.
Sañjaya reports that seven furious great warriors rush toward Arjuna (the diademed). In the same battle scene, all the Sṛñjaya fighters together assail Bhīṣma, striking him while brandishing divine weapons.