(अजय्यश्लवैव लोकानां सर्वेषामिति मे मति: ।) कारणद्वयमास्थाय नाहं योत्स्यामि पाण्डवान्,अताडयन् रणे भीष्मं सहिता: सर्वसृञज्जया: । समस्त सूंजय वीर एक साथ संगठित हो भयंकर शतघ्नी, परिघ, फरसे, मुद्गर, मुसल, प्रास, गोफन, स्वर्णमय पंखवाले बाण, शक्ति, तोमर, कम्पन, नाराच, वत्सदन््त और भुशुण्डी आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें भीष्मको सब ओरसे पीड़ा देने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | (ajayyaślavāiva lokānāṁ sarveṣām iti me matiḥ |) kāraṇadvayam āsthāya nāhaṁ yotsyāmi pāṇḍavān, atāḍayan raṇe bhīṣmaṁ sahitāḥ sarvasṛñjayāḥ | samastāḥ sṛñjayā vīrā ekasātha saṅgaṭhitāḥ bhayaṅkaraiḥ śataghnyā-parigha-phaśa-mudgara-muśala-prāsa-gophana-suvarṇamaya-pakṣavālaiḥ bāṇaiḥ śaktyā-tomaraiḥ kampana-nārāca-vatsadanta-bhuśuṇḍy-ādibhiḥ astrāśastraiḥ raṇabhūmau bhīṣmaṁ sarvataḥ pīḍayām āsuḥ |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Matibay ang aking paniniwala na siya’y tunay na di-madadaig ng lahat ng daigdig.” Gayunman, dahil sa dalawang pagsasaalang-alang, nagpasiya siya: “Hindi ako lalaban sa mga Pāṇḍava.” Samantala, sa labanan, ang nagkakatipong mga mandirigmang Sṛñjaya ay paulit-ulit na humampas kay Bhīṣma. Nagkaisa sila at pinisil siya mula sa bawat panig sa pamamagitan ng nakapanghihilakbot na mga sandata—sataghnī, mga pamalong bakal at mga baras na bakal, mga palakol, mga maso, musala, mga sibat, mga tirador, mga palasong may gintong pakpak, śakti, tomara, kampana, nārāca, vatsadanta, bhuśuṇḍī, at iba pa—upang mapabagsak maging ang matandang haligi ng panig ng Kuru.
संजय उवाच
Even amid total war, the epic highlights the tension between martial duty and ethical restraint: a warrior may be deemed ‘invincible,’ yet choices—grounded in reasons and conscience—still shape action, and collective force can challenge even the greatest when dharma and strategy converge.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma is regarded as unconquerable, but someone (in context, a key warrior) resolves not to fight the Pāṇḍavas for two reasons; at the same time, the Sṛñjaya fighters, acting together, surround and repeatedly strike Bhīṣma with many kinds of weapons, pressing him hard on the battlefield.