Shloka 456
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
नाराचेन सुतीक्ष्णेन रुक्मपुड्खेन संयुगे | तदनन्तर सोमदत्तकुमारने युद्धस्थलमें सुवर्णमय पंखसे युक्त अत्यन्त तीखे नाराचद्वारा भीमसेनकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | nārācena sutīkṣṇena rukmapuṅkhena saṃyuge | tadanantaraṃ somadattakumāreṇa yuddhasthale suvarṇamaya-paṅkha-yuktenātyanta-tīkṣṇa-nārācena bhīmasenasya chātiṃ prahṛtā |
サञ्जयは語った。ついで戦のただ中で、ソーマダッタの子は、金の羽を備えた矢柄の、剃刀のごとく鋭いナーラーチャ（nārāca）の矢で、ビーマセーナの胸を射抜いた。この一幕は、戦が容赦なく精密であることを示す。武の優劣は制御と狙いの確かさで量られ、しかも激しさを増す怨みの中で、クシャトリヤの法（kṣatriya-dharma）を守り抜けるかが試されるのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya world of disciplined martial skill: even amid hatred and chaos, a warrior’s duty is expressed through controlled aim and steadfast engagement. Ethically, it points to how war magnifies both prowess and the moral burden of inflicting harm.
Sanjaya reports that Somadatta’s son (Bhūriśravas) shoots Bhima in the chest with an extremely sharp nārāca arrow fitted with golden feathering, describing a specific strike within the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle.