Shloka 22
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
नास्ति युद्धे कृती कश्रिन्न विद्वान् न पराक्रमी | यत्र शान्तनवो भीष्म: शेतेडद्य निहत: शरै:,जब ये शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म भी आज शत्रुओंके बाणोंसे मारे जाकर सो रहे हैं तो यही कहना पड़ता है कि 'युद्धमें न कोई कुशल है, न विद्वान् है और न पराक्रमी ही है”
nāsti yuddhe kṛtī kaścin na vidvān na parākramī | yatra śāntanavo bhīṣmaḥ śete ’dya nihataḥ śaraiḥ ||
毗湿摩波罗衍那说：在战争中，谁也不能真正称为技艺高超、学识渊博，甚至称得上真正的英雄——当善檀奴之子毗湿摩今日也被箭矢击倒，卧于其上。此景本身便谴责战争的骄矜：若如此正直而强大的长者尚且被削落为一张箭床，那么胜利与勇武便显得空虚，而战斗的道德代价也暴露无遗。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse undercuts the glorification of war: when even Bhīṣma—renowned for wisdom, discipline, and valor—lies felled by arrows, claims of true skill, learning, or heroism in war become morally suspect. It points to the futility and ethical devastation inherent in violent conflict.
After the catastrophic Kurukṣetra war, the narrator highlights Bhīṣma lying incapacitated on the battlefield (the famous bed of arrows). This image becomes evidence for a lament: war spares neither the great nor the righteous, and its outcomes mock human pride.