Shloka 23
भीष्मस्य मण्डलव्यूहः — Bhīṣma’s Maṇḍala Battle-Formation and the Opening Engagements
विसृज्य शरवृष्टिं तां दश राजन् महारथा: । परिवार्य महाबाहुं निहन्तुमुपचक्रमु:,राजन! उन दस महारथियोंने वहाँ बाणोंकी वर्षा करके महाबाहु भूरिश्रवाको चारों ओरसे घेरकर उसे मार डालनेकी तैयारी की
visṛjya śaravṛṣṭiṁ tāṁ daśa rājan mahārathāḥ | parivārya mahābāhuṁ nihantum upacakramuḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, setelah melepaskan hujan anak panah itu, sepuluh maharathi tersebut mengepung Bhūriśravas yang berlengan perkasa dari segenap arah dan mula berusaha membunuhnya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the escalation of collective violence in war: when many elite warriors coordinate to encircle a single opponent, tactical success can intensify the ethical strain of battle, foreshadowing questions of fairness and dharma that recur throughout the Bhīṣma Parva.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that ten great chariot-warriors first unleash a dense volley of arrows and then surround the mighty Bhūriśravas, preparing to kill him.