Shloka 13
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
कृष्ण पश्य महात्मानं भीष्मं भीमपराक्रमम् । गजं नलवनानीव विमृद्नन्तं बल॑ मम
sañjaya uvāca | kṛṣṇa paśya mahātmānaṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhīmaparākramam | gajaṃ nalavanānīva vimṛdnantaṃ balaṃ mama ||
三阇耶说道：“噢，克里希那，请看那位大心之人毗湿摩，威势骇人。他正如巨象践踏芦苇丛一般，碾碎我的军势。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of a single disciplined, dharma-bound warrior in battle, and the moral tension of war where even the ‘great-souled’ can become an instrument of destruction. It underscores how prowess and righteousness can coexist, yet still produce tragic outcomes on the battlefield.
Sanjaya reports to the blind king that Bhishma is devastating the Kaurava ranks. Addressing Krishna, he uses a vivid simile: Bhishma’s advance is like an elephant trampling reed-forests, conveying the ease and inevitability with which the troops are being crushed.