Shloka 41
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
तोमरं च द्विधा चक्रे क्षुरप्रेणानिलात्मज: । पट्टिशं च त्रिभि्णिश्विच्छेद तिलकाण्डवत्,परंतु वायुपुत्र भीमसेनने एक क्षुरप्रसे जयद्रथके चलाये हुए तोमरके दो टुकड़े कर दिये; फिर तीन बाण मारकर पट्टिशको तिलके डंठलके समान टूक-टूक कर डाला
sañjaya uvāca | tomaraṃ ca dvidhā cakre kṣurapreṇānilātmajaḥ | paṭṭiśaṃ ca tribhir iṣubhiś ciccheda tilakāṇḍavat ||
Sañjaya disse: O filho do deus do Vento (Bhīmasena) partiu o tomara em dois com uma flecha de ponta afiada como lâmina; e, com três setas, reduziu o paṭṭiśa a pedaços, como quem corta o talo de uma planta de tilaka. A cena realça a feroz determinação e a disciplina marcial de Bhīma: diante de armas mortíferas, ele não responde apenas com ira, mas com perícia controlada e propósito inabalável.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, the text highlights disciplined prowess: a warrior’s duty is carried out through steadiness, precision, and mastery over impulse—strength guided by control rather than mere fury.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma counters incoming weapons by expertly severing them mid-flight: he splits a tomara with a razor-headed arrow and then chops a paṭṭiśa into fragments with three arrows, likened to cutting a thin plant-stalk.