भैमसेनिर् महाराज हैडिम्बो राक्षसेश्वरः ॥
मतो मे बहुमायावी रथयूथपयूथपः ॥
योत्स्यते समरे तात मायाभिः समरप्रियः ॥
ये चास्य राक्षसाः शूराः सचिवा वशवर्तिनः ॥
एते चान्ये च बहवो नानाजनपदेश्वराः ॥
समेताः पाण्डवस्यार्थे वासुदेवपुरोगमाः ॥
एते प्राधान्यतो राजन् पाण्डवस्य महात्मनः ॥
रथाश् चातिरथाश् चैव ये चाप्य् अर्धरथा मताः ॥
नेष्यन्ति समरे सेनां भीमां यौधिष्ठिरीं नृप ॥
महेन्द्रेणेव वीरेण पाल्यमानां किरीटिना ॥
bhaimasenir mahārāja haiḍimbo rākṣaseśvaraḥ ||
mato me bahumāyāvī rathayūthapayūthapaḥ ||
yotsyate samare tāta māyābhiḥ samarapriyaḥ ||
ye cāsya rākṣasāḥ śūrāḥ sacivā vaśavartinaḥ ||
ete cānye ca bahavo nānājanapadeśvarāḥ ||
sametāḥ pāṇḍavasyārthe vāsudevapurogamāḥ ||
ete prādhānyato rājan pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ ||
rathāś cātirathāś caiva ye cāpy ardharathā matāḥ ||
neṣyanti samare senāṃ bhīmāṃ yaudhiṣṭhirīṃ nṛpa ||
mahendreṇeva vīreṇa pālyamānāṃ kirīṭinā ||
The son of Bhimasena, Haidimba, lord of the rakshasas, O great king, is in my judgment the leader of the troops of chariots, a master of many magic powers. In battle, dear one, this lover of combat will fight by his magic powers; and his brave rakshasa helpers are under his command. These and many other lords of various lands have gathered for the Pandava's cause, with Vasudeva at their head. These, O king, are the foremost rathas, atirathas, and also the ardharathas of the great-souled Pandava. They will lead into battle the mighty army of Yudhishthira, O king, guarded by the hero Kiritin as though by great Indra himself.
6f024199264d · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Here Bhishma completes his assessment of the Pandava army while at the same time laying bare his own limits. He is ready to meet Arjuna and Krishna, ready to hold back kings and allies, yet he refuses to fight Shikhandin because of his own vow and Shikhandin's former birth as a woman. This limit is not weakness but fidelity to his word: even on the threshold of the great war, Bhishma remains bound by the dharma of his own vow.