Shloka 473
तानप्याशु शरैर्भीष्म: प्रविव्याध महारथ: । इसी प्रकार दूसरे लोगोंने भी सहस्रों बाणोंद्वारा भीष्मजीको घायल किया। तब महारथी भीष्मने भी तुरंत ही अपने बाणोंद्वारा उन सबको बींध डाला
tān apy āśu śarair bhīṣmaḥ pravivyādha mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Bhīṣma, the great chariot-warrior, swiftly pierced even those opponents with his arrows. Though others too struck Bhīṣma with thousands of shafts, he at once answered by riddling them all in return—an image of relentless martial duty where prowess and endurance, not personal hatred, drive the exchange on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-duty in war: steadfastness and immediate response under attack. Bhīṣma’s action is portrayed as disciplined martial conduct—enduring injury and fulfilling his role without hesitation.
In the thick of the Kurukṣetra battle, opponents strike Bhīṣma with many arrows; Bhīṣma, the foremost chariot-warrior, promptly counters by piercing them with his own arrows.