Shloka 296
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
नरनागाश्वकायेषु बहुत्वाल्लघुयोधिन: । युद्धमें मनुष्यों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंके शरीरोंपर चलाया हुआ भीष्मका कोई भी बाण व्यर्थ नहीं होता था। एक तो उनके पास बाण बहुत थे और दूसरे वे बड़ी फुर्तीसे चलाते थे
nara-nāgāśva-kāyeṣu bahutvāl laghu-yodhinaḥ |
सञ्जय उवाच—नरनागाश्वकायेषु बहुत्वाल्लघुयोधिनः। न भीष्मस्य शरो युद्धे व्यर्थो भवति कश्चन॥ बहुत्वात् लक्ष्यसमूहस्य शीघ्रत्वाच्च तस्य धनुषः, सर्वः शरः प्राणहरः समपद्यत।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, mastery and speed combined with plentiful weapons can make violence maximally effective. Ethically, it highlights the terrifying momentum of battle: once unleashed, skill and resources can magnify destruction, reminding readers to weigh the human cost behind martial glory.
Sañjaya is describing Bhīṣma’s performance on the battlefield: surrounded by dense ranks of men, elephants, and horses, Bhīṣma shoots so rapidly and with such abundance of arrows that none of his shots are wasted—each finds a target.