Shloka 18
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
ध्वजं चास्य त्रिभिभल्लैक्षिच्छेद परमौजस: । सारथिं च त्रिभिबाणैराजघान यतव्रत:
dhvajaṃ cāsya tribhir bāṇaiś ciccheda paramaujasāḥ | sārathiṃ ca tribhir bāṇair ājaghāna yatavrataḥ ||
三阇耶说道：大力无双的毗湿摩以三箭斩落他的旗帜；而这位守戒自持者又以三箭击毙其御者。于战场冷峻的法则之中，此举显出毗湿摩不移的纪律与致命的精准——出手毫不迟疑，却仍带着他素以苦行与克制著称的印记。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes ferocity in battle with inner discipline: Bhīṣma is portrayed as a vow-bound, self-restrained elder who nevertheless executes his martial duty with decisive precision. It highlights how personal austerity (vrata) can coexist with uncompromising action within one’s assigned role in war.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, using three arrows, first cuts down the opponent’s banner (a symbolic blow to identity and morale) and then, again with three arrows, strikes down the charioteer—an act that disables the chariot and intensifies the combat’s deadly momentum.