Shloka 11
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
स वक्षसि पपातोग्र: शरो व्याल इव श्वसन् | महीं राज॑स्ततश्चाहमगमं रुधिराविल:
sa vakṣasi papātograḥ śaro vyāla iva śvasan | mahīṃ rajaḥ tataś cāham agamaṃ rudhirāvilaḥ, rājan |
Bhīṣma nói: “Tâu Đại vương! Mũi tên dữ dội ấy lao tới, rít lên như rắn, và cắm thẳng vào ngực ta. Máu đầm đìa, ta liền ngã xuống đất.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark reality of warfare: even the greatest warriors are subject to injury and collapse. It implicitly highlights kṣatriya-dharma—enduring danger and pain without abandoning one’s role—while reminding the listener of human vulnerability amid violent conflict.
Bhīṣma describes being hit in the chest by a fierce arrow that ‘hisses like a serpent.’ Wounded and bloodied, he falls to the ground, addressing the listener as ‘O King,’ indicating a direct, eyewitness-style account of a battlefield moment.