Shloka 8
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
अथात्वरद् भीष्मवधाय जिष्णु- बलानि राजन् समरे निहत्य । उन्होंने रणक्षेत्रमें तेलके धोये हुए साठ बाण मारकर उन पृष्ठरक्षकोंका भी संहार कर दिया। इस प्रकार युद्धभूमिमें उन सभी रथियोंको जीतकर और कौरव-सेनाओंका समरमें संहार करके प्रसन्नचित्त हुए यशस्वी विजयी अर्जुनने भीष्मके वधके लिये शीघ्रता की ।। ७ - त्रिगर्तराजो निहतान् समीक्ष्य महात्मना तानथ बन्धुवर्गान्
atha atvarad bhīṣmavadhāya jiṣṇuḥ balāni rājan samare nihatya | trigartarājo nihatān samīkṣya mahātmanā tān atha bandhuvargān ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Jishnu (Arjuna), intent on Bhishma’s fall, hastened on after striking down the enemy forces in battle. Seeing his kinsmen slain by that great-souled warrior, the king of the Trigartas looked on—while Arjuna, having overcome the chariot-warriors and cut down the Kaurava troops on the field, pressed forward with a resolute mind toward the task of bringing down Bhishma. The passage underscores the grim ethic of war: even righteous aims are pursued through violent means, and the cost is borne most sharply by families and allies who witness their own fall.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic within dharma: a kṣatriya pursues a strategic objective (Bhīṣma’s fall) with unwavering resolve, yet the narrative also foregrounds the human cost—kinsmen witnessing the death of their own—showing that even duty-bound action in war carries moral and emotional weight.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, after cutting down enemy forces, hastens toward the goal of bringing down Bhīṣma. The Trigarta king, seeing his allied kinsmen slain by Arjuna, looks on in the aftermath, setting up the continuing clash and reactions among the opposing leaders.