Shloka 20
अम्बा-शाल्वसंवादः | Amba’s Appeal to Śālva and His Refusal
अपातयं शरैर्दीप्तै: प्रहसन् भरतर्षभ । तेषामापततां चित्रान् ध्वजान् हेमपरिष्कृतान्
apātayaṁ śarair dīptaiḥ prahasan bharatarṣabha | teṣām āpatatāṁ citrān dhvajān hemapariṣkṛtān ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bharata, ketika mereka mara sambil menyerang, aku tertawa dan dengan anak panah yang menyala-nyala aku menebas jatuh panji-panji mereka yang gemilang, beraneka warna, berhias emas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in practice: steadiness and confidence under attack, and the tactical targeting of enemy standards to weaken morale—showing how martial excellence and psychological strategy operate within the ethics of battlefield duty.
As the opposing side rushes to attack, Bhīṣma narrates that he, smiling/laughing in confidence, uses blazing arrows to cut down and topple their ornate, gold-adorned banners.