Shloka 25
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
ततः सुनिशितान् पीतान् समादत्त शिलीमुखान् । ससर्ज त्वरया युक्तः पुत्रांस्ते प्राप्प मारिष,आर्य! इसके बाद भीमने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ बहुत-से तीखे और पानीदार बाण हाथमें लिये और आपके पुत्रोंको लक्ष्य करके छोड़ दिये
tataḥ suniśitān pītān samādatta śilīmukhān | sasarja tvarayā yuktaḥ putrāṁs te prāpya māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: Then, taking up keenly whetted, yellow-hued arrows, he—driven by urgency—swiftly discharged them, having reached your sons as his targets, O venerable one. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where resolve and speed become decisive, even as the moral weight of striking one’s kin remains implicit in the Kurukṣetra conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of decisive action—speed, preparedness, and focus—while implicitly reminding the listener that such efficiency in war carries grave moral consequences when directed against one’s own kin in a fratricidal conflict.
Sañjaya reports that the warrior takes up sharp, yellow-hued arrows and quickly releases them toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas), emphasizing the rapid escalation and intensity of the combat.