Shloka 4
Dvīpa–Sāgara–Parvata Varṇana and Svarbhānu
Rāhu) Graha-pramāṇa (Dvīpas, Oceans, Mountains, and Astral Measures
ककुदं सर्वयोधानां धाम सर्वधनुष्मताम् । शरतल्पगत:ः सोड्द्य शेते कुरूपितामह:,जो समस्त योद्धाओंके ध्वजस्वरूप और सम्पूर्ण धनुर्धरोंके आश्रय थे, वे ही कुरुकुलपितामह भीष्म आज बाणशब्यापर सो रहे हैं
kakudaṁ sarvayodhānāṁ dhāma sarvadhanuṣmatām | śaratālpagataḥ so ’dya śete kurūpitāmahaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dia yang menjadi puncak dan panji segala pahlawan, tempat berlindung dan sandaran setiap pemanah—Bhīṣma, datuk agung kaum Kuru—kini pada hari ini terbaring di atas hamparan anak panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of strength and status: even Bhīṣma, the foremost support of warriors and archers, is reduced to lying on an arrow-bed. It implicitly warns that war consumes venerable protectors and that worldly eminence cannot shield one from the consequences of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma—revered as the Kurus’ grandsire and the leading figure among fighters—has been struck down in battle and now lies on a bed of arrows (śaratālpa), marking a decisive turning point in the war.