Mahabharata 11.23.17 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 17
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
शरतल्पगतं भीष्ममूर्थ्वरेतसमच्युतम् । शयानं वीरशयने पश्य शूरनिषेविते,जो ऊध्वरेता ब्रह्मचारी रहकर कभी मर्यादासे च्युत नहीं हुए हैं, उन भीष्मको शूरसेवित वीरोचित शयन बाणशय्यापर सोते हुए देख लो
śarat-talpa-gataṃ bhīṣmam ūrdhva-retasam acyutam | śayānaṃ vīra-śayane paśya śūra-niṣevite ||
จงดูภีษมะผู้เอนกายบนแท่นแห่งลูกศร—ผู้เป็นอูรธวเรตะ พรหมจารีผู้ไม่เคยคลาดจากข้อปฏิญาณ—นอนอยู่บนที่บรรทมของวีรชน อันเหล่าผู้กล้าพากันเฝ้าปรนนิบัติ
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical steadfastness: Bhīṣma, famed for unwavering vows and brahmacarya, is portrayed as ‘acyuta’—one who does not fall from self-restraint—even amid extreme bodily suffering. It frames moral discipline as a form of inner heroism equal to martial valor.
The narrator points the listener toward Bhīṣma, who lies on the battlefield upon a bed of arrows (the śara-talpa), resting on a warrior’s couch and attended by heroes. The scene underscores both his grievous condition after battle and the reverence he still commands.
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