Shloka 66
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
भीष्मं च शरवर्षाणि सृजन्तमनिशं युधि । प्रतपन्तमिवादित्यं मध्यमासाद्य सेनयो:,तदनन्तर महाबाहु श्रीकृष्णने उस समरांगणमें भीष्मका पराक्रम देखकर यह विचार किया कि अर्जुन तो कोमलतापूर्वक युद्ध कर रहा है और भीष्म युद्धस्थलमें निरन्तर बाणोंकी वर्षा कर रहे हैं। ये दोनों सेनाओंके बीचमें आकर तपते हुए सूर्यकी भाँति सुशोभित होते और पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके अच्छे-अच्छे सैनिकोंको चुन-चुनकर मार रहे हैं। युधिष्ठिरकी सेनामें भीष्मने प्रलयकालका-सा दृश्य उपस्थित कर दिया है
bhīṣmaṃ ca śaravarṣāṇi sṛjantam aniśaṃ yudhi | pratapantam ivādityaṃ madhyam āsādya senayoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “And Bhīṣma—unceasingly releasing showers of arrows in the battle—stood between the two armies, blazing like the sun. His prowess scorched the field, as he struck down the foremost warriors of Yudhiṣṭhira’s host, making the Pāṇḍava ranks appear as though a scene of dissolution had arisen.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of kṣatriya-dharma in war: extraordinary martial power can appear ‘sun-like’ and irresistible, yet it also intensifies collective suffering. It invites reflection on how duty, prowess, and destruction coexist on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s dominant performance: he stands between the two armies and continuously rains arrows, shining and scorching like the sun, thereby breaking the Pāṇḍava ranks and creating a near-apocalyptic scene in Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces.