वैशंपायन उवाच
ततः सेनापतिं चक्रे विधिवद् भूरिदक्षिणम् ॥
धृतराष्ट्रात्मजो भीष्मं सो ऽभिषिक्तो व्यरोचत ॥
ततो भेरीश् च शङ्खांश् च शतशश् चैव पुष्करान् ॥
वादयाम् आसुर् अव्यग्राः पुरुषा राजशासनात् ॥
सिंहनादाश् च विविधा वाहनानां च निस्वनाः ॥
प्रादुरासन्न् अनभ्रे च वर्षं रुधिरकर्दमम् ॥
निर्घाताः पृथिवीकम्पा गजबृंहितनिस्वनाः ॥
आसंश् च सर्वयोधानां पातयन्तो मनांस्य् उत ॥
वाचश् चाप्य् अशरीरिण्यो दिवश् चोल्काः प्रपेदिरे ॥
शिवाश् च भयवेदिन्यो नेदुर् दीप्तस्वरा भृशम् ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tataḥ senāpatiṃ cakre vidhivad bhūridakṣiṇam ||
dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajo bhīṣmaṃ so 'bhiṣikto vyarocata ||
tato bherīś ca śaṅkhāṃś ca śataśaś caiva puṣkarān ||
vādayām āsur avyagrāḥ puruṣā rājaśāsanāt ||
siṃhanādāś ca vividhā vāhanānāṃ ca nisvanāḥ ||
prādurāsann anabhre ca varṣaṃ rudhirakardamam ||
nirghātāḥ pṛthivīkampā gajabṛṃhitanisvanāḥ ||
āsaṃś ca sarvayodhānāṃ pātayanto manāṃsy uta ||
vācaś cāpy aśarīriṇyo divaś colkāḥ prapedire ||
śivāś ca bhayavedinyo nedur dīptasvarā bhṛśam ||
Vaishampayana said: Then the son of Dhritarashtra, in due form and with abundant gifts, made Bhishma commander-in-chief; thus consecrated, he shone forth. Then, at the king's command, the composed men made hundreds of great war-drums, conches, and pushkara drums resound. Various lion-roars and the din of war-animals arose; in a cloudless sky there fell a rain mingled with muddy blood. There were thunderclaps, earthquakes, and the trumpeting sounds of elephants that struck fear into the hearts of all the warriors. Bodiless voices were heard, meteors fell from the sky, and jackals, portending terror, howled with shrill cries.
72dc87d66373 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:17:52 AM UTC
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Duryodhana grasps the outward need for unified command, yet his choice still stands within an already broken dharma. Bhishma's answer reveals the tragic duality of his position: bound by duty to the throne, he does not renounce his knowledge of the truth or his attachment to the Pandavas. Bhishma's conditions, and Karna's refusal to fight under him, show that even within the vast Kaurava army, unity remains only superficial.