Shloka 112
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
विकृष्य बलवान् भीष्म: समाधत्त दुरासदम् | ब्रह्मास्त्रेण सुसंयुक्त तं शरं लोमवाहिनम्,तदनन्तर महाबली भीष्मने धनुषको खींचकर उसके ऊपर एक मृत्युके समान भयंकर, भारी-से-भारी लक्ष्यको बेधनेमें समर्थ, उत्तम और दुःसह पंखयुक्त बाण रखा; फिर उसे ब्रह्मास्त्रद्वारा अभिमन्त्रित करके छोड़ दिया
sañjaya uvāca | vikṛṣya balavān bhīṣmaḥ samādhatta durāsadam | brahmāstreṇa susaṃyuktaṃ taṃ śaraṃ lomavāhinam ||
三阇耶说道：勇力的毗湿摩引满弓弦，搭上一支难以抵御的可怖之箭；那箭羽森然。继而他以“梵天神兵”（Brahmāstra）加持，使之成为势不可当的武器，便放箭而出，意在命中最难中的目标。此景凸显战争阴沉的升级：对神圣兵器的驾驭被用于毁灭，而非克制。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power—especially sacred or divinely sanctioned power—can be directed toward harm when war intensifies. It implicitly raises an ethical tension central to the Mahābhārata: kṣatriya prowess and duty may demand battle, yet the use of overwhelming astras calls for discernment and restraint, since such force magnifies suffering and narrows the space for dharmic choice.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma drawing his bow, setting a formidable feathered arrow, empowering it with the Brahmāstra, and releasing it. The action signals a decisive, high-stakes moment in combat where a great warrior escalates to a supreme missile to overcome an otherwise difficult-to-defeat opponent or target.