Shloka 25
सोअन्यत् कार्मुकमादाय गाड़्ेयो वेगवत्तरम् । (जघान निशितैर्बाणैरर्जुनं परवीरहा ।) तदप्यस्य शितैर्बाणैस्त्रिभिश्चिच्छेद फाल्गुन:,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 भीष्मजीका धनुष कट गया था। उसी अवस्थामें अर्जुनसे सुरक्षित शिखण्डीने दस बाणोंसे उन्हें और दस बाणोंसे उनके सारथिको भी घायल कर दिया। तत्पश्चात् एक बाणसे ध्वजको काट गिराया। तब शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले गंगानन्दन भीष्मने दूसरा अत्यन्त वेगशाली धनुष लेकर तीखे बाणोंसे अर्जुनको घायल करना आरम्भ किया। यह देख अर्जुनने उस धनुषको भी तीन पैने बाणोंद्वारा काट डाला
sa anyat kārmukam ādāya gāṅgeyo vegavattaram | jaghāna niśitair bāṇair arjunaṁ paravīrahā || tad apy asya śitair bāṇais tribhiś ciccheda phālgunaḥ | atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṁ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīṣma, the son of the Gaṅgā and slayer of enemy heroes, took up another bow, swifter in its force, and struck Arjuna with sharp arrows. But Arjuna (Phālguna) cut that bow as well with three keen shafts. Meanwhile, all the Sṛñjayas, acting in concert, assailed Bhīṣma on the battlefield from every side. The episode underscores a grim battlefield ethic: prowess is met by counter-prowess, and even the mightiest warrior is constrained by circumstance—here, Bhīṣma’s vulnerability is intensified by coordinated pressure and the larger moral tension of fighting while bound by vows and prior commitments.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield dimension of kṣatriya-dharma: relentless effort, quick counteraction, and strategic coordination. It also suggests an ethical tension—great warriors are not merely defeated by strength but by circumstance and collective pressure, foreshadowing how vows and prior moral choices can shape one’s vulnerability in war.
Bhīṣma takes up a second, faster bow and shoots Arjuna with sharp arrows. Arjuna immediately severs that bow with three arrows. At the same time, the Sṛñjaya forces, united, continue striking Bhīṣma from all sides in the battle.