Shloka 116
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
शरस्फुलिड्ो भीष्मानिनेर्ददाह क्षत्रियर्षभान् रथ ही उनके लिये अग्निशालाके समान था, धनुष ज्वालाओंके समान प्रकाशित होता था, खड़्ग, शक्ति और गदा आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्र समिधाका काम कर रहे थे। बाण चिनगारियोंके समान थे। इस प्रकार भीष्मरूपी अग्नि वहाँ क्षत्रियशिरोमणियोंको दग्ध करने लगी
sañjaya uvāca | śara-sphuliṅgo bhīṣmāgnir dadāha kṣatriyarṣabhān | rathaḥ hi teṣāṃ agni-śalākā-samo 'bhavat, dhanuḥ jvālā-samo dīpyate sma | khaḍga-śakti-gadādayaś ca astrāṇi-śastrāṇi samidhā-kāryaṃ kurvanti sma | bāṇāḥ sphuliṅgā iva | evaṃ bhīṣma-rūpo 'gnis tatra kṣatriya-śiromaṇīn dagdhuṃ pravavṛte ||
三阇耶说道：毗湿摩如烈焰腾起，开始焚灼刹帝利中的翘楚。诸车仿佛火炬；其弓辉耀如火舌。剑、矛、钺与棍棒等诸兵刃皆为薪柴，而其箭矢飞射如火星四溅。于是，化作烈火的毗湿摩在战场上吞噬着武士阶层的“冠上明珠”。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the fire-metaphor to show how kṣatriya-dharma in war can manifest as overwhelming, impersonal destruction: weapons become 'fuel' and arrows become 'sparks.' It invites reflection on the ethical weight of martial duty—valor and skill may be righteous within one’s role, yet they still produce suffering and irreversible consequences.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s fierce onslaught in battle. Bhīṣma is portrayed as a consuming fire: chariots appear like firebrands, his bow like flames, weapons like kindling, and arrows like sparks, as he strikes down the foremost warriors on the field.