Shloka 51
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें कौरव-व्यूह-रचनाविषयक इक्यावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,वासुदेवं त्रिभिर्बाणैराजघान स्तनान्तरे | महाराज! तदनन्तर प्रहार करनेवालोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मने कुपित होकर तीन बाणोंसे भगवान् श्रीकृष्णकी छातीमें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी || ५० ई ।। भीष्मचापच्युतैस्तैस्तु निर्विद्धो मधुसूदन:
vāsudevaṃ tribhir bāṇair ājaghāna stanāntare | mahārāja! tad-anantaraṃ prahāra-karāṇāṃ śreṣṭho bhīṣmaḥ kupitaḥ san tribhir bāṇair bhagavantaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ vakṣasi gāḍhaṃ vyathayām āsa || bhīṣma-cāpa-cyutais tais tu nirviddho madhusūdanaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, kemudian Bhīṣma—yang terunggul antara para pejuang—dalam amarah di tengah pertempuran, memanah Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) pada dada dengan tiga batang anak panah, hingga menimbulkan luka yang dalam. Maka Madhusūdana pun tertusuk oleh anak-anak panah yang dilepaskan dari busur Bhīṣma itu.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising force of kṣatriya-duty in war: Bhīṣma, though revering Kṛṣṇa, acts as a warrior bound to his side and role. It also frames Kṛṣṇa’s participation as deliberate and instructive—divinity remains present within human conflict, allowing consequences to unfold to reveal the gravity of dharma and the cost of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, enraged, shoots three arrows that strike Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva/Madhusūdana) in the chest, wounding him. The line emphasizes Bhīṣma’s prowess and the intensity of the Kurukṣetra fighting, where even Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna’s charioteer is hit.