Shloka 13
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
ततः पपात सहसा महोल्केव हतप्रभा,तब वह शक्ति प्रभाहीन हुई बहुत बड़ी उल्काके समान सहसा भूमिपर गिर पड़ी। प्रजानाथ! भगदत्तकी शक्तिको नष्ट हुई देख आपके पुत्रने विशाल रथसेनाके साथ आकर सात्यकिको रोका
tataḥ papāta sahasā maholkeva hataprabhā | prajānātha! bhagadattasya śaktiṃ naṣṭāṃ dṛṣṭvā tava putro viśāla-ratha-senayā saha āgatya sātyakiṃ aroddhīt ||
Sañjaya disse: Então aquela arma, com o seu fulgor subitamente extinto, caiu de pronto à terra como um grande meteoro. Ó senhor dos homens! Vendo a śakti de Bhagadatta reduzida à impotência, teu filho avançou com uma vasta força de carros e conteve Sātyaki.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncertainty of power in warfare: even formidable weapons can lose efficacy, and leaders must respond with disciplined strategy and coordinated force. Ethically, it suggests that reliance on sheer might is unstable; outcomes hinge on circumstance, resolve, and the larger moral and karmic currents of the conflict.
Bhagadatta’s powerful śakti-weapon becomes lusterless and falls to the ground like a meteor. Seeing this, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana) arrives with a large chariot contingent and blocks or restrains Sātyaki’s advance.