Shloka 15
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
रथान् मे बहुसाहस्रान् दिव्यैरस्त्रमहाबल: । घातयत्यनिशं भीष्म: प्रवराणां प्रहारिणाम्
rathān me bahusāhasrān divyair astramahābalaḥ | ghātayaty aniśaṃ bhīṣmaḥ pravarāṇāṃ prahāriṇām ||
Sañjaya thưa: Bhīṣma, bậc đại lực, cầm giữ những thiên binh thần khí, đang không ngừng chém giết hàng ngàn chiến sĩ xa chiến của phe ta—những người đứng đầu trong hàng dũng sĩ, tinh thông đòn đánh.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating momentum of warfare: martial excellence and even the 'foremost' fighters can be annihilated when a great warrior employs divine weapons relentlessly. It invites reflection on the ethical burden of power—strength and skill, once set in motion in battle, produce irreversible loss.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Bhishma, empowered by celestial weapons and immense prowess, is continuously slaughtering thousands of chariot-warriors from Sanjaya’s (i.e., the Kaurava) side, including elite and highly skilled combatants.