Shloka 41
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
पूर्णायतविसृष्टेन पीतेन निशितेन च । निर्बिभेद महाराज राजपुत्रं बृहदबलम्,राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर धनुषको पूर्णरूपसे खींचकर छोड़े गये पानीदार तीखे बाणसे उसने राजकुमार बृहदूबलको विदीर्ण कर दिया
pūrṇāyatavisṛṣṭena pītena niśitena ca | nirbibheda mahārāja rājaputraṃ bṛhadbalam || rājendra! tad-anantaraṃ dhanuṣko pūrṇarūpase khīṃcakara choṛe gaye pānīdāra tīkhe bāṇase usane rājakuṃvāra bṛhadūbalako vidīrṇa kara diyā |
Sanjaya said: O great king, with a keen, well-feathered arrow, fully drawn and then released, he pierced the prince Bṛhadbala. O lord of kings, immediately thereafter, the archer—having pulled the bow to its full measure—split the valiant royal son with that sharp, swift-flying shaft. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and duty on the field drive actions with grave and irreversible consequence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of dharma in war: a kṣatriya’s duty is executed through skill and resolve, yet every act on the battlefield carries irreversible moral and human weight.
Sanjaya reports that an archer, drawing the bow fully, releases a sharp arrow that pierces the prince Bṛhadbala, describing a decisive strike in the ongoing combat.