Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 34
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
भीमस्तु समरे विद्ध्वा शल्यं नवभिरायसै: । भगदत्तं त्रिभिश्वैव कृतवर्माणमष्टभि:
bhīmas tu samare viddhvā śalyaṁ navabhir āyasaiḥ | bhagadattaṁ tribhiś caiva kṛtavarmāṇam aṣṭabhiḥ ||
संजय म्हणाला—त्यानंतर भीमसेनाने रणांगणात लोखंडी नऊ बाणांनी राजा शल्याला भेदले; तीन बाणांनी भगदत्ताला आणि आठ बाणांनी कृतवर्म्याला जखमी केले; तसेच कृपाचार्य आदी रथींना प्रत्येकी दोन-दोन बाणांनी विद्ध केले।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma—unyielding execution of martial duty and skill—while implicitly reminding the reader that such prowess operates within a morally heavy context where renowned warriors are wounded in rapid succession.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, in combat, pierces Śalya with nine iron arrows, then hits Bhagadatta with three and Kṛtavarmā with eight, showing Bhīma’s momentum and the intensifying exchanges among leading fighters.
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