Shloka 556
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
आजपघान ततो भीष्म॑ श्वेत: क्षत्रियनन्दन: । तदनन्तर क्षत्रियकुलको आनन्दित करनेवाले विराटकुमार श्वेतने युद्धमें कुपित हो धनुषको जोर-जोरसे खींचकर भीष्मपर पुनः बाणोंद्वारा प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | ājaghāna tato bhīṣmaṁ śvetaḥ kṣatriyanandanaḥ | tadanantaraṁ kṣatriyakulako virāṭakumāraḥ śveto yuddhe kupito dhanuḥ punaḥ punaḥ balavat ākarṣya bhīṣmaṁ bāṇair abhyahanat |
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Śveta, kegembiraan para kṣatriya, menyerang Bhīṣma. Sesudah itu, Śveta—putera Virāṭa, zuriat bangsa pahlawan—berang di medan perang, berkali-kali menarik busurnya dengan sekuat-kuatnya dan sekali lagi menggempur Bhīṣma dengan hujan anak panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma as expressed in battle: steadfast courage and relentless effort. At the same time, it hints at the ethical tension of war—wrath can intensify action, yet the opponent may be a venerable elder like Bhīṣma, showing how duty and emotion collide on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports that Śveta, the prince of Virāṭa, strikes Bhīṣma and then, becoming angry, repeatedly draws his bow with force and continues to shower Bhīṣma with arrows, escalating the combat.