Shloka 8
दृश्यते सम नरेन्द्राणां पुनर्मध्यगतश्चरन् । पितामह भीष्म एक ही क्षणमें रथकी पंक्ति तोड़कर घेरेसे बाहर निकल आते और पुनः राजाओंकी सेनाके मध्यभागमें प्रवेश करके वहाँ विचरते दिखायी देते थे ।। ततः पज्चालराजं च धृष्टकेतुमचिन्त्य च,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
sañjaya uvāca | dṛśyate saṃ nṛpāṇāṃ punar madhyagataś caran | pitāmahaḥ bhīṣma eka eva kṣaṇena ratha-paṅktiṃ bhittvā gherāt bahiḥ nirgacchati, punaś ca rājñāṃ senāyā madhyabhāge praviśya tatra caran dṛśyate || tataḥ pāñcālarājaṃ ca dhṛṣṭaketuṃ acintyaṃ ca atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṃ sahitāḥ sarva-sṛñjayāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Bhīṣma, the grandsire, was seen moving again and again amid the kings. In a single moment he would break through the line of chariots, emerge from the encirclement, and then re-enter the very center of the royal host, ranging there in full view. Then all the Sṛñjayas, acting together, struck at Bhīṣma in battle—along with the king of the Pāñcālas and the formidable Dhṛṣṭaketu—seeking to check the unstoppable elder whose prowess was reshaping the field. The scene underscores the war’s moral tension: disciplined valor and collective duty confronting an aged yet invincible champion bound by his own vows and allegiance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: disciplined courage, tactical skill, and collective responsibility in war. It also frames an ethical tension—many warriors must unite to restrain a single elder hero whose personal vows and loyalties drive him to fight with relentless effectiveness.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s battlefield mobility: he pierces the chariot line, escapes an encirclement, and re-enters the army’s center. In response, the Sṛñjayas—along with the Pāñcāla king and Dhṛṣṭaketu—attack him together, attempting to halt his dominating advance.