Shloka 67
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
कैकेये च विराटे च धृष्टद्युम्ने च पार्षते । एतेषु नरसिंहेषु चेदिमत्स्येषु चैव ह । ववर्ष शरवर्षाणि कुरुवृद्ध: पितामह:
sañjaya uvāca |
kaikeye ca virāṭe ca dhṛṣṭadyumne ca pārṣate |
eteṣu narasiṃheṣu cedimatsyeṣu caiva ha |
vavarṣa śaravarṣāṇi kuruvṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：在这些如狮般的勇士之中——计迦耶诸王子、毗罗吒王、普利沙塔（德鲁帕陀）之子德利什塔丢姆那，以及支提与摩蹉的战士——俱卢族年迈的祖父毗湿摩开始倾下阵阵箭雨。此景更显战争推进之无情：即便是受人敬仰的长者，也因所择之阵营与刹帝利之义务所系，仍向敌方著名的勇将施放致命之力。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between reverence and duty: Bhīṣma, though an elder worthy of honor, acts according to his pledged allegiance and kṣatriya obligation in war. It points to the Mahābhārata’s ethical complexity—dharma in conflict can compel even the noblest figures to participate in destructive action.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma begins a fierce assault, showering arrows upon prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors and allied contingents—Kekaya fighters, King Virāṭa, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and the Cedi and Matsya troops—intensifying the battle’s pressure on that front.