Shloka 45
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
यथा हंसा महाराज तडागं प्राप्प भारत । महाराज! भरतनन्दन! जैसे हंस तालाबमें पहुँचकर उसके भीतर गोते लगाते हैं, उसी प्रकार वे बाण महामना दुःशासनके शरीरमें धँस गये ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yathā haṃsā mahārāja taḍāgaṃ prāpya bhārata | majjanti salile yadvad evaṃ te bāṇā mahāmanā duḥśāsanasya śarīre nyapatanta | pīḍitaś caiva putras te pāṇḍavena mahātmanā | arjunaṃ vihāya sahasā bhīṣmasya ratham āruroha | tasmin kāle duḥśāsanāya nimagnāya agādhe sāgare bhīṣmo dvīpa ivābhavat ||
三阇耶说道：“大王啊，婆罗多的后裔啊——正如天鹅抵达湖泊便潜入水中，那些箭也同样深深没入高魂的杜沙娑那之身。被大心的般度子阿周那所逼迫折磨，你的儿子杜沙娑那在战斗中舍离阿周那，立刻登上毗湿摩的战车。那一刻，对杜沙娑那而言——仿佛沉没于无底大海之人——毗湿摩便成了如岛屿般的庇护。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how, in the chaos of war, even proud warriors seek shelter when overwhelmed; it also frames Bhishma as a stabilizing protector—an ethical reminder that power and senior responsibility can become a refuge for those in संकट (distress), though the larger war remains adharma-laden.
Arjuna’s arrows pierce Duhshasana so deeply that he breaks off the engagement and quickly climbs onto Bhishma’s chariot; Bhishma is compared to an ‘island’ saving him from the ‘ocean’ of danger.