Mahabharata · 2.41.24–25
॥
Devanāgarī
वैशंपायन उवाच
ततश् चेदिपतेः श्रुत्वा भीष्मः स कटुकं वचः ॥
उवाचेदं वचो राजंश् चेदिराजस्य शृण्वतः ॥
इच्छतां किल नामाहं जीवाम्य् एषां महीक्षिताम् ॥
यो ऽहं न गणयाम्य् एतांस् तृणानीव नराधिपान् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tataś cedipateḥ śrutvā bhīṣmaḥ sa kaṭukaṃ vacaḥ ||
uvācedaṃ vaco rājaṃś cedirājasya śṛṇvataḥ ||
icchatāṃ kila nāmāhaṃ jīvāmy eṣāṃ mahīkṣitām ||
yo 'haṃ na gaṇayāmy etāṃs tṛṇānīva narādhipān ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततश् चेदिपतेः श्रुत्वाtataś cedipateḥ śrutvāthen, having heard the Chedi-lord's
भीष्मः स कटुकं वचःbhīṣmaḥ sa kaṭukaṃ vacaḥthat bitter word, Bhishma
उवाच इदं वचो राजंश्uvāca idaṃ vaco rājaṃśspoke this word, O king,
चेदिराजस्य शृण्वतःcedirājasya śṛṇvataḥ[while] the Chedi king listened:
इच्छतां किल नाम अहम्icchatāṃ kila nāma aham"by the will, forsooth, I
जीवाम्य् एषां महीक्षिताम्jīvāmy eṣāṃ mahīkṣitāmlive of these lords of the earth —
यो अहम् न गणयाम्य् एतांस्yo aham na gaṇayāmy etāṃsI, who do not count these
तृणानि इव नराधिपान्tṛṇāni iva narādhipān[kings], these lords of men, even as blades of grass!"
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उवाचेदंuvācedaṃoriginal form "uvācedaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नामाहंnāmāhaṃoriginal form "nāmāhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तृणानीवtṛṇānīvaoriginal form "tṛṇānīva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Then, having heard that bitter word of the Chedi-lord, Bhishma spoke, O king, while the Chedi king listened: "So I am said to live by the will of these lords of the earth — I, who do not count these lords of men even as blades of grass!"
Version
00fb661631b5 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Bhishma's reply is not boasting but testimony of freedom: he does not count the kings threatening him even as blades of grass. It is telling that this fearlessness is born not of contempt for people but of trust in God: one who fears God alone fears no one else. The verse teaches that true freedom belongs only to one surrendered to the Supreme: fear of mortals is the flip side of forgetting God, and remembrance of Him abolishes every other fear. Bhishma sets no store by the crowd's opinion and favor, for he values only the will of the Lord; and in this single dependence lies perfect independence from all else.