सो ऽहम् एकरथेनैव गतः काशिपतेः पुरीम् ॥
अपश्यं ता महाबाहो तिस्रः कन्याः स्वलंकृताः ॥
राज्ञश् चैव समावृत्तान् पार्थिवान् पृथिवीपते ॥
ततो ऽहं तान् नृपान् सर्वान् आहूय समरे स्थितान् ॥
रथम् आरोपयां चक्रे कन्यास् ता भरतर्षभ ॥
वीर्यशुल्काश् च ता ज्ञात्वा समारोप्य रथं तदा ॥
अवोचं पार्थिवान् सर्वान् अहं तत्र समागतान् ॥
भीष्मः शांतनवः कन्या हरतीति पुनः पुनः ॥
ते यतध्वं परं शक्त्या सर्वे मोक्षाय पार्थिवाः ॥
प्रसह्य हि नयाम्य् एष मिषतां वो नराधिपाः ॥
ततस् ते पृथिवीपालाः समुत्पेतुर् उदायुधाः ॥
योगो योग इति क्रुद्धाः सारथींश् चाप्य् अचोदयन् ॥
so 'ham ekarathenaiva gataḥ kāśipateḥ purīm ||
apaśyaṃ tā mahābāho tisraḥ kanyāḥ svalaṃkṛtāḥ ||
rājñaś caiva samāvṛttān pārthivān pṛthivīpate ||
tato 'haṃ tān nṛpān sarvān āhūya samare sthitān ||
ratham āropayāṃ cakre kanyās tā bharatarṣabha ||
vīryaśulkāś ca tā jñātvā samāropya rathaṃ tadā ||
avocaṃ pārthivān sarvān ahaṃ tatra samāgatān ||
bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavaḥ kanyā haratīti punaḥ punaḥ ||
te yatadhvaṃ paraṃ śaktyā sarve mokṣāya pārthivāḥ ||
prasahya hi nayāmy eṣa miṣatāṃ vo narādhipāḥ ||
tatas te pṛthivīpālāḥ samutpetur udāyudhāḥ ||
yogo yoga iti kruddhāḥ sārathīṃś cāpy acodayan ||
And I, alone upon a single chariot, set out for the city of the lord of Kashi. There I saw, O mighty-armed one, the three adorned maidens and the assembled kings, O lord of the earth. Then, having summoned all those kings who stood ready for battle, I placed the maidens upon my chariot, O bull among the Bharatas. Knowing that valor was their bride-price, and having set them upon the chariot, I said again and again to all the kings gathered there: 'Bhishma, son of Shantanu, is carrying off these maidens. Strive then with all your might to free them, all you kings. For I am carrying them off by force before your very eyes, O lords of men.' Then these guardians of the earth sprang up with weapons raised and, enraged, crying 'Harness! Harness!', urged on their charioteers.
0170200ec83d · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Bhishma answers Duryodhana not with abstract reasoning but with the story of his own vow and deeds. The account of the svayamvara of the king of Kashi shows his former might: alone, he defeated the assembled kings and carried off the princesses to continue the line of Kuru. Yet this very story leads to Shikhandin and to the boundary Bhishma will not cross: his martial power is subordinate to his vow, not the other way around.