Shloka 526
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
मूर्च्याभिपरीतात्मा ध्वजरयष्टिं समाश्रयत् । राजा भगदत्तसे इस प्रकार अत्यन्त घायल किये गये महाधनुर्धर महारथी भीमसेनने मूच्छसे व्याप्त हो ध्वजका डंडा थाम लिया
sañjaya uvāca | mūrchyābhiparītātmā dhvajarayaṣṭiṃ samāśrayat |
Sañjaya said: Overcome by faintness, his consciousness clouded, he clung to the flagstaff for support. Even a great bowman and foremost chariot-warrior, grievously wounded in the press of battle, must momentarily rely on a mere pole—showing how war reduces even the mighty to human frailty and how endurance, not pride, sustains one amid suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical realism of war: even the strongest warrior can be overcome by pain and exhaustion, so true steadiness lies in endurance and humility rather than mere bravado.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior, overwhelmed by swooning from wounds, steadies himself by grasping the chariot’s banner-staff, indicating a momentary collapse and recovery amid intense fighting.