SanskritIASTMeaning
अतः ऊर्ध्वं भीष्म-पर्व विचित्र-अर्थम्ataḥ ūrdhvaṃ bhīṣma-parva vicitra-arthamthen — the Bhishma-parva, wondrous in meaning
जम्बू-खण्ड-विनिर्माणं संजयेन उक्तम्jambū-khaṇḍa-vinirmāṇaṃ saṃjayena uktamthe description of Jambu-khanda (the earth), told by Sanjaya
दश अहानि घोरं युद्धम् अभूत्daśa ahāni ghoraṃ yuddham abhūtfor ten days the terrible battle raged
यौधिष्ठिरं सैन्यं विषादम् अगमत्yaudhiṣṭhiraṃ sainyaṃ viṣādam agamatYudhishthira's army fell into despair
पार्थस्य कश्मलं मोहजं वासुदेवः नाशयाम् आसpārthasya kaśmalaṃ mohajaṃ vāsudevaḥ nāśayām āsaVasudeva dispelled Arjuna's delusion-born distress
हेतुभिः मोक्ष-दर्शनैःhetubhiḥ mokṣa-darśanaiḥwith arguments and the teaching of liberation (the Gita)
शिखण्डिनं पुरस्कृत्य पार्थः निशितैः बाणैःśikhaṇḍinaṃ puraskṛtya pārthaḥ niśitaiḥ bāṇaiḥArjuna, putting Shikhandin in front, with sharp arrows
भीष्मं रथात् अपातयत्bhīṣmaṃ rathāt apātayatfelled Bhishma from his chariot
षष्ठं एतत् महा-पर्व भारतेṣaṣṭhaṃ etat mahā-parva bhāratesuch is the sixth, the great parva of Bharata
शतं सप्तदश च अध्यायाःśataṃ saptadaśa ca adhyāyāḥone hundred seventeen chapters
पञ्च सहस्राणि अष्टौ शतानि चतुरशीतिः श्लोकाःpañca sahasrāṇi aṣṭau śatāni caturaśītiḥ ślokāḥfive thousand eight hundred eighty-four verses
अतatathe base form "ata", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
विचित्रार्थंvicitrārthaṃthe base form "vicitrārthaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
भीष्मपर्वbhīṣmaparvathe base form "bhīṣmaparva", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
प्रचक्षतेpracakṣatethe base form "pracakṣate", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
जम्बूखण्डविनिर्माणंjambūkhaṇḍavinirmāṇaṃthe base form "jambūkhaṇḍavinirmāṇaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यत्रोक्तंyatroktaṃthe base form "yatroktaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
हhathe base form "ha", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यत्रyatrathe base form "yatra", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अभूद्abhūdthe base form "abhūd", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
दशाहान्य्daśāhānythe base form "daśāhāny", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अतिदारुणम्atidāruṇamthe base form "atidāruṇam", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यत्रyatrathe base form "yatra", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
परम्paramthe base form "param", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यत्रyatrathe base form "yatra", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
वासुदेवोvāsudevothe base form "vāsudevo", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
महामतिःmahāmatiḥthe base form "mahāmatiḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
हेतुभिर्hetubhirthe base form "hetubhir", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
मोक्षदर्शनैःmokṣadarśanaiḥthe base form "mokṣadarśanaiḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यत्रyatrathe base form "yatra", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पार्थोpārthothe base form "pārtho", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
महाधनुःmahādhanuḥthe base form "mahādhanuḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
विनिघ्नन्vinighnanthe base form "vinighnan", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
निशितैर्niśitairthe base form "niśitair", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
बाणैbāṇaithe base form "bāṇai", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
रथाद्rathādthe base form "rathād", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
भीष्मम्bhīṣmamthe base form "bhīṣmam", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
षष्ठम्ṣaṣṭhamthe base form "ṣaṣṭham", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
एतन्etanthe base form "etan", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
महापर्वmahāparvathe base form "mahāparva", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
परिकीर्तितम्parikīrtitamthe base form "parikīrtitam", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अध्यायानांadhyāyānāṃthe base form "adhyāyānāṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
प्रोक्तंproktaṃthe base form "proktaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
तथापरेtathāparethe base form "tathāpare", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
श्लोकसहस्राणिślokasahasrāṇithe base form "ślokasahasrāṇi", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
संख्ययाष्टौsaṃkhyayāṣṭauthe base form "saṃkhyayāṣṭau", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
श्लोकाश्ślokāśthe base form "ślokāś", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
चcathe base form "ca", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
चतुराशीतिःcaturāśītiḥthe base form "caturāśītiḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पर्वण्य्parvaṇythe base form "parvaṇy", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अस्मिन्asminthe base form "asmin", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
प्रकीर्तिताःprakīrtitāḥthe base form "prakīrtitāḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
व्यासेनvyāsenathe base form "vyāsena", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
वेदविदुषाvedaviduṣāthe base form "vedaviduṣā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
संख्याताsaṃkhyātāthe base form "saṃkhyātā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
भीष्मपर्वणिbhīṣmaparvaṇithe base form "bhīṣmaparvaṇi", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
The Bhishma-parva carries within it the supreme treasure — the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna, overcome by kashmala (distress born of false compassion and attachment), casts down his weapon, the Lord Krishna himself instructs him, dispelling the illusion with knowledge of the eternal self, of selfless duty, and, above all, of boundless devotion (bhakti) to himself. The Gita is the essence of all the Vedas: "abandon all forms of dharma and surrender to me alone." And the fall of Bhishma, greatest among devotees, onto a bed of arrows is no defeat but a triumph: he departs by his own choice, awaiting the auspicious hour, Krishna's name on his lips and his gaze fixed on the Lord. Thus the parva teaches that even in the thick of war the heart must turn toward Krishna, and that a devotee's death is a return to him.