Shloka 4
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
स तैर्विद्ध: स्रवन् रक्त प्रभिन्न इव कुज्जर:
sa tair viddhaḥ sravan raktaṃ prabhinna iva kuñjaraḥ
Sañjaya said: Struck by those weapons, he bled profusely, like a great elephant whose temples have been split open—an image that underscores the brutal immediacy of war and the heavy cost borne by warriors on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not offer a direct doctrinal injunction; its ethical force lies in portraying the stark reality of warfare—valor and duty unfold amid severe bodily suffering, reminding the listener that war’s consequences are tangible and grievous.
Sañjaya describes a warrior being pierced by opponents’ weapons and bleeding heavily, comparing him to a great elephant with split temples, a conventional epic simile emphasizing both magnitude and agony.