Shloka 8
भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्
Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra
ततो<हं निशितैर्भल्लै: शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । अच्छिदं सहसा राजजन्नन्तरिक्षे पुन: पुन:,राजन! तब मैंने सहसा तीखी धारवाले भल्ल नामक बाणोंसे आकाशमें ही उन सबके सैकड़ों और हजारों टुकड़े कर दिये। यह क्रिया बारंबार चलती रही
tato 'haṃ niśitair bhallaiḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ | acchidaṃ sahasā rājan antarīkṣe punaḥ punaḥ ||
రాజా! అప్పుడు నేను పదునైన భల్ల బాణాలతో, ఆ బాణాలను ఆకాశంలోనే వందలుగా, వేలుగా చీల్చివేశాను—మళ్లీ మళ్లీ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya discipline and protective responsibility: true martial excellence is not mere aggression but controlled skill that neutralizes threats before they cause harm, repeatedly and reliably.
Bhīṣma describes how he used sharp bhalla arrows to slice incoming missiles into hundreds and thousands of fragments while they were still in the air, doing so again and again as the combat continued.