Shloka 34
भीष्मस्य शरशय्या-प्राप्तिः
Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed
नकुलं तु रणे क्रुद्धो विकर्ण: शत्रुतापन: । विव्याध सायकै: षष्ट्या रक्षन् भीष्मं महाबलम्
nakulaṃ tu raṇe kruddho vikarṇaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | vivyādha sāyakaiḥ ṣaṣṭyā rakṣan bhīṣmaṃ mahābalam ||
Sañjaya nói: Ở phía khác, Vikarṇa—kẻ thiêu đốt quân thù—trong cơn thịnh nộ giữa chiến địa, đã bắn Nakula sáu mươi mũi tên, quyết tâm che chở Bhīṣma hùng mạnh.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield form of dharma: steadfast loyalty and protective duty toward one’s leader (here, Bhīṣma). It also implicitly raises the ethical tension that duty-driven allegiance can require harming others in war.
During the battle, Vikarṇa, fighting in anger and intent on shielding Bhīṣma, shoots Nakula with sixty arrows, wounding him.