Shloka 76
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
आजपघानोरससि क्रुद्धो मार्गणैर्नवभि: शितै: । कुपित हुए दुर्योधनने भी महारथी भीमसेनको उस युद्धमें उनकी छातीको लक्ष्य करके नौ तीखे बाण मारे,लब्धलक्ष्य: प्रहारी च वयं च श्रान्तवाहना: । पाज्चालै: पाण्डवेयैश्ल दिवसं क्षतविक्षता: 'ऐसी दशामें साक्षात् वज्रधारी इन्द्र भी उसे युद्धमें पराजित नहीं कर सकते। यह प्रहार करनेमें कुशल तथा लक्ष्य भेदनेमें सफल है। इधर हमलोगोंके वाहन थक गये हैं। पाण्डवों और पांचालोंके द्वारा दिनभर क्षत-विक्षत होते रहे हैं
sañjaya uvāca | ajapaghānorasasi kruddho mārgaṇair navabhiḥ śitaiḥ | labdhalakṣyaḥ prahārī ca vayaṃ ca śrāntavāhanāḥ | pāñcālaiḥ pāṇḍaveyaiś ca divaṃsaṃ kṣatavikṣatāḥ |
Sanjaya said: Enraged, he struck the broad chest of Bhimasena with nine sharp arrows, each well-aimed. He is a sure marksman and a skilled assailant; whereas our mounts are exhausted, and we have been torn and wounded all day by the Pandavas and the Panchalas. The passage underscores how, in the moral chaos of war, prowess and fatigue alike shape outcomes—yet valor is not identical with righteousness.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahabharata ethic: battlefield excellence (accurate aim, forceful striking) is real and admirable, yet it operates amid anger, exhaustion, and collective suffering—reminding the listener that martial success is not the same as moral rightness (dharma).
Sanjaya reports that Duryodhana, furious, shoots Bhima in the chest with nine sharp arrows. He then notes Duryodhana’s effectiveness as a marksman while contrasting it with the Kaurava side’s fatigue—especially their exhausted mounts—and their being battered throughout the day by the Pandavas and the Panchalas.