Shloka 17
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
नासज्जन्त तनुत्रेषु भीष्मचापच्युता: शरा: । हतवीरान् रथात् राजन् संयुक्ताञ्जवनैर्हयै:
sañjaya uvāca
nāsajjanta tanutreṣu bhīṣma-cāpa-cyutāḥ śarāḥ | hatavīrān rathāt rājan saṃyuktān javanair hayaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, anak panah yang dilepaskan dari busur Bhīṣma tidak tersangkut pada zirah para pahlawan; sebaliknya, ia menghentam dengan daya yang demikian hebat sehingga setelah para juara terbunuh, kereta-kereta—ditarik oleh kuda-kuda pantas—pun rebah. Pemandangan itu menegaskan arus ngeri peperangan, ketika keperkasaan dan takdir berpadu merampas rasa aman bahkan daripada yang paling terlindung.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the strongest external protections—armor, chariots, and speed—can fail when confronted by overwhelming force and the turning of fortune in war; the verse highlights the fragility of worldly safeguards amid violent conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma’s arrows, shot from his bow, did not merely embed in armor; they struck decisively, killing key fighters and bringing down chariots drawn by swift horses, emphasizing Bhīṣma’s dominance on the battlefield.