Shloka 41
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
त॑ं शिखण्डी त्रिभिबाणिरभ्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे । आशीविषमिव क्रुद्धं कालसृष्टमिवान्तकम्
taṁ śikhaṇḍī tribhir bāṇair abhyavidhyat stanāntare | āśīviṣam iva kruddhaṁ kālasṛṣṭam ivāntakam ||
三阇耶说：随后，尸佉ṇḍī以三箭射中毗湿摩两乳之间。那一刻，毗湿摩宛如暴怒的毒蛇，又如被时轮遣出的死神，步步逼近。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of mortality under the governance of Kāla (Time) and the heavy ethical atmosphere of war: even a righteous and formidable elder like Bhīṣma is drawn toward his destined end, reminding readers that power and valor do not exempt one from consequence and fate.
Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī shoots three arrows into Bhīṣma’s chest. Bhīṣma is described through intense similes—like an enraged venomous serpent and like Death dispatched by Time—emphasizing both his terrifying martial presence and the ominous turning point of the battle.