Shloka 18
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ध्वजं चास्य त्रिभिभल्लैक्षिच्छेद परमौजस: । सारथिं च त्रिभिबाणैराजघान यतव्रत:,साथ ही उस महातेजस्वी वीरके ध्वजको भी तीन बाणोंसे काट गिराया; इतना ही नहीं, नियमपूर्वक ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करनेवाले भीष्मने तीन बाणोंसे अभिमन्युके सारथिको भी मार डाला
dhvajaṃ cāsya tribhir bāṇaiś ciccheda paramaujasāḥ | sārathiṃ ca tribhir bāṇair ājaghāna yatavrataḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。至高の武威を備えた毘湿摩は、三本の矢でその旗印を断ち落とし、さらに戒を守り自らを制する者として、三本の矢で御者をも射倒した。戦の冷厳な掟のもと、これは毘湿摩の揺るがぬ規律と致命の精確さを示す—ためらいなく手を下しつつも、名高い苦行と節制の気配がそこに宿っている。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes ferocity in battle with inner discipline: Bhīṣma is portrayed as a vow-bound, self-restrained elder who nevertheless executes his martial duty with decisive precision. It highlights how personal austerity (vrata) can coexist with uncompromising action within one’s assigned role in war.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, using three arrows, first cuts down the opponent’s banner (a symbolic blow to identity and morale) and then, again with three arrows, strikes down the charioteer—an act that disables the chariot and intensifies the combat’s deadly momentum.