Shloka 31
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
गजकण्टकसंनद्धं वज्ेणेव शिलोच्चयम् । भीष्म कंकपत्रसे युक्त बहुसंख्यक तीखे बाणोंको युद्धमें बिखेर रहे थे। वे एक ही पंखयुक्त सीधे बाणसे लोहेकी झूलसे युक्त हाथीको भी विदीर्ण कर डालते थे। जैसे इन्द्र महान् पर्वतको अपने वज्ञसे विदीर्ण कर देते हैं || ३० हू ।। दौ त्रीनपि गजारोहान् पिण्डितान् वर्मितानपि
gajakantakasaṃnaddhaṃ vajreṇeva śilocchayam | bhīṣmaḥ kaṅkapatrase yuktaṃ bahusaṃkhyaka-tīkṣṇa-bāṇān yuddhe bikhērayan iva | sa eka eva pakṣayuktena sṛjā bāṇena lohajhūlāsayuktaṃ hastinam api vidīrya pātayām āsa | yathendraḥ mahāparvataṃ svavajreṇa vidārayati ||
Sañjaya said: Bhīṣma, as though hurling a storm of sharp arrows in battle, struck even an elephant armored with iron trappings and fitted with goads. With a single straight, feathered shaft he could split such a war-elephant—just as Indra cleaves a mighty mountain with his thunderbolt. The scene underscores the terrifying efficiency of martial skill when yoked to war: prowess here serves the Kuru cause, yet it also magnifies the moral weight of violence on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial power can become an instrument of massive harm in war; it implicitly invites reflection on the ethical gravity of battlefield violence even when performed under kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is showering sharp arrows and can pierce even heavily armored war-elephants, likening his force to Indra splitting a mountain with the thunderbolt.