Shloka 6
ततः सूते हते तस्मिन् क्षिपतस्तस्य मे शरान् | प्रमत्तमनसो राम: प्राहिणोन्मृत्युसम्मितम्
tataḥ sūte hate tasmin kṣipatastasya me śarān | pramattamanaso rāmaḥ prāhiṇon mṛtyusammitam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Ketika sais itu telah terbunuh, sementara dia terus menghujani aku dengan anak panah, aku—dengan fikiran yang seketika alpa—sedang menangkis dan mematahkan panah-panah Paraśurāma. Pada saat itulah Rama (Paraśurāma) melepaskan kepadaku sebatang anak panah yang menggerunkan, seumpama maut sendiri.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a brief lapse in vigilance during righteous duty (especially in battle) can invite grave danger; the verse highlights the ethical weight of attentiveness and self-mastery amid conflict.
In the Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma combat episode, after the charioteer is killed, Paraśurāma continues to shoot at Bhīṣma; Bhīṣma, momentarily inattentive though cutting down the incoming arrows, faces a death-like missile launched by Paraśurāma.