Shloka 22
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
संदधे विशिखं घोरं कालमृत्युसमप्रभम् । तेनाजघान संक्रुद्धों भीमसेनं स्तनान्तरे,फिर उसके ऊपर काल और मृत्युके समान तेजस्वी भयंकर बाण रखा और कुपित हो उसके द्वारा भीमसेनकी छातीमें गहरा आघात किया
saṃdadhe viśikhaṃ ghoraṃ kālamṛtyusamaprabham | tenājaghāna saṃkruddho bhīmasenaṃ stanāntare ||
三阇耶说道：他在弓上搭起一支可怖的箭，光焰如同“时”与“死”本身；继而怒而发射，正中毗摩塞那胸前，造成深重而猛烈的一击。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, anger (krodha) and the drive to overpower can make combat feel like the working of Kāla (Time) and Mṛtyu (Death). It implicitly cautions that martial action, once fueled by wrath, becomes an impersonal force of destruction where even great strength offers no immunity.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (implied from context) fitting a fearsome arrow and, in anger, striking Bhīma in the chest. The image compares the arrow’s radiance and terror to Time and Death, emphasizing the severity of the blow and the lethal intensity of the battle.