Shloka 90
स पपात महाबाहुर्वसुधामनुनादयन्
sa papāta mahābāhur vasudhām anunādayan | indradhvaja iva chinnaḥ pṛthivīṃ śabdayan mahābāhuḥ bhīṣmaḥ sampūrṇa-dhanurdharāṇāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ | sarvāṅgeṣu sarvataḥ śaraiḥ baddhaḥ, patann api bhūmiṃ na spṛśat |
三阇耶说道：臂力无双的毗湿摩倒下时，使大地轰然作响——如因陀罗之旗被斩而倾。纵然他是诸般弓术圆满者中最卓越的一位，他的全身却被箭矢从四面八方密密贯穿；因此即便倒下，也未触及地面。此景昭示战争可怖的代价，以及战士以清苦般的坚忍承受痛苦而不弃所择之法与职责。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity of dharma in wartime: even the greatest warrior can be brought down, and yet steadfastness and endurance remain central virtues. It also points to the tragic consequences of conflict—heroism and suffering coexist, and victory is inseparable from loss.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s collapse in battle. Struck all over by arrows, he falls with a thunderous sound, compared to a cut-down banner of Indra; because arrows support his body, he does not physically touch the ground—anticipating the famous ‘bed of arrows’ episode.