Shloka 24
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
अपरेण तु भल्लेन पीतेन निशितेन तु । अपातयत् कुण्डलिन सिंह: क्षुद्रमूगं यथा
apareṇa tu bhallena pītena niśitena tu | apātayat kuṇḍalinaṁ siṁhaḥ kṣudra-mṛgaṁ yathā ||
三阇耶说道：随后，毗摩又以另一支闪亮而锋利的倒钩短矛箭，击倒了军荼林——你的儿子——正如狮子扑倒一只小鹿。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: strength, skill, and circumstance can decisively determine outcomes, and even those of high birth may fall swiftly. The lion–deer simile conveys the ethical tension of war—valor and duty on one side, and the stark vulnerability of the defeated on the other.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, using another sharp and shining bhalla (barbed missile), fells Kuṇḍalin—described as Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son—likening the act to a lion bringing down a small deer.