Shloka 90
स पपात महाबाहुर्वसुधामनुनादयन्,वे महाबाहु भीष्म सम्पूर्ण धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ थे। वे कटी हुई इन्द्रकी ध्वजाके समान पृथ्वीको शब्दायमान करते हुए गिर पड़े। उनके सारे अंगोंमें सब ओर बाण बिंधे हुए थे। इसलिये गिरनेपर भी उनका धरतीसे स्पर्श नहीं हुआ
sa papāta mahābāhur vasudhām anunādayan | indradhvaja iva chinnaḥ pṛthivīṃ śabdayan mahābāhuḥ bhīṣmaḥ sampūrṇa-dhanurdharāṇāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ | sarvāṅgeṣu sarvataḥ śaraiḥ baddhaḥ, patann api bhūmiṃ na spṛśat |
Sañjaya said: The mighty-armed Bhīṣma fell, making the earth resound—like Indra’s banner when it is cut down. Though he was the foremost among complete masters of the bow, his entire body was pierced on every side with arrows; therefore, even as he fell, he did not touch the ground. The scene underscores the terrible cost of war and the austere steadfastness of a warrior who endures suffering without abandoning his chosen duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity of dharma in wartime: even the greatest warrior can be brought down, and yet steadfastness and endurance remain central virtues. It also points to the tragic consequences of conflict—heroism and suffering coexist, and victory is inseparable from loss.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s collapse in battle. Struck all over by arrows, he falls with a thunderous sound, compared to a cut-down banner of Indra; because arrows support his body, he does not physically touch the ground—anticipating the famous ‘bed of arrows’ episode.