Shloka 25

भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः

Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed

Devanagari script

शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले नरेश! राजा विराटने संग्राममें शोभा पानेवाले प्रयत्नशील एवं महाधनुर्धर अश्वत्थामाको भल्‍ल नामक दस बाणोंसे घायल किया ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-dena-vāle nareśa! rājā virāṭaḥ saṅgrāme śobhā-pāna-vāle prayatnaśīlaṃ mahā-dhanu-dharaṃ aśvatthāmānaṃ bhalla-nāmabhiḥ daśabhiḥ bāṇaiḥ kṣataṃ cakāra ||

drupadaś ca tribhir bāṇa-vivyātha niśitais tadā |

guru-putraṃ samāsādya praharan tau mahā-balau |

tataḥ aśvatthāmā anekaiḥ bāṇaiḥ tau ubhau mahā-balau viddhvā virāṭa-drupadau vīrau bhīṣma-vadhaṃ prati udyatau babhūvatuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Hỡi bậc quân vương gieo khổ cho quân thù! Trong trận chiến, vua Virāṭa—khao khát vinh quang và gắng sức không ngừng—đã làm Aśvatthāmā, cung thủ hùng mạnh, bị thương bởi mười mũi tên bhalla. Rồi Drupada cũng áp sát con trai của vị đạo sư và bắn chàng bằng ba mũi tên sắc. Khi hai vị vua lực lưỡng ấy còn đang ra đòn, Aśvatthāmā liền đáp trả, dùng nhiều mũi tên xuyên thấu cả hai. Virāṭa và Drupada, hai dũng tướng, đều quyết tâm giết Bhīṣma.

Word by Word

• द्रुपदः: Drupada
• द्रुपदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुपद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: by arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• विव्याथ: pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• निशितैः: sharp
• निशितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निशित

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• गुरु-पुत्रम्: the teacher's son (Aśvatthāman)
• गुरु-पुत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरुपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समासाद्य: having approached/come up to
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-सद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• प्रहरन्तौ: striking/attacking (the two)
• प्रहरन्तौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• महाबलौ: the two mighty (kings)
• महाबलौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied addressee: nareśa)
• Virata
• Drupada
• Ashvatthama
• Drona (implied by guru-putra)
• Bhishma
• Bhalla arrows
• Arrows (bāṇāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kshatriya world of reciprocal violence: even righteous kings, seeking strategic advantage and battlefield glory, become firmly resolved to kill. It implicitly raises the ethical tension between duty in war and the grave karmic weight of lethal intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Virata wounds Ashvatthama with ten bhalla arrows; Drupada also pierces him with three sharp arrows. Ashvatthama retaliates by piercing both kings with many arrows. Virata and Drupada are portrayed as determined to bring about Bhishma’s death.