Shloka 52
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
आजघान महाराज शरेणानतपर्वणा | महाराज! तत्पश्चात् राजा भगदत्तने कुपित होकर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे भीमसेनकी छातीमें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी ।। ५१ है ।। सो5तिविद्धो महेष्वासस्तेन राज्ञा महारथ:
sañjaya uvāca | ājaghāna mahārāja śareṇānataparvaṇā | so 'tividdho maheṣvāsaḥ tena rājñā mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, he struck with an arrow whose joints were bent. Thus, that great archer and mighty chariot-warrior, pierced through by that king, was grievously wounded—an episode that underscores how, in the heat of battle, wrath and prowess drive warriors to inflict decisive blows, even upon renowned heroes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield reality that skill and anger can culminate in severe harm even to eminent warriors; ethically, it reflects the tension between kṣatriya duty (fighting decisively) and the tragic cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a king strikes with a distinctive bent-jointed arrow, and the great archer and mahāratha is grievously pierced—contextually describing Bhagadatta’s powerful hit against Bhīmasena.