हयाश् च मे संगृहीतास् तया वै; महानद्या संयति कौरवेन्द्र ॥
पादौ जनन्याः प्रतिपूज्य चाहं; तथार्ष्टिषेणं रथम् अभ्यरोहम् ॥
ररक्ष सा मम रथं हयांश् चोपस्कराणि च ॥
ताम् अहं प्राञ्जलिर् भूत्वा पुनर् एव व्यसर्जयम् ॥
ततो ऽहं स्वयम् उद्यम्य हयांस् तान् वातरंहसः ॥
अयुध्यं जामदग्न्येन निवृत्ते ऽहनि भारत ॥
ततो ऽहं भरतश्रेष्ठ वेगवन्तं महाबलम् ॥
अमुञ्चं समरे बाणं रामाय हृदयच्छिदम् ॥
ततो जगाम वसुधां बाणवेगप्रपीडितः ॥
जानुभ्यां धनुर् उत्सृज्य रामो मोहवशं गतः ॥
hayāś ca me saṃgṛhītās tayā vai; mahānadyā saṃyati kauravendra ||
pādau jananyāḥ pratipūjya cāhaṃ; tathārṣṭiṣeṇaṃ ratham abhyaroham ||
rarakṣa sā mama rathaṃ hayāṃś copaskarāṇi ca ||
tām ahaṃ prāñjalir bhūtvā punar eva vyasarjayam ||
tato 'haṃ svayam udyamya hayāṃs tān vātaraṃhasaḥ ||
ayudhyaṃ jāmadagnyena nivṛtte 'hani bhārata ||
tato 'haṃ bharataśreṣṭha vegavantaṃ mahābalam ||
amuñcaṃ samare bāṇaṃ rāmāya hṛdayacchidam ||
tato jagāma vasudhāṃ bāṇavegaprapīḍitaḥ ||
jānubhyāṃ dhanur utsṛjya rāmo mohavaśaṃ gataḥ ||
My horses had been held fast by her, the great river, in the battle, O lord of the Kauravas. Having honored my mother's feet, I mounted again upon the chariot of Arshtishena. She protected my chariot, my horses, and all my equipment. And I, with joined palms, released her once more. Then I myself took up the reins of those horses, swift as the wind, and fought against Jamadagnya until the day's end, O Bharata. Then, O best of the Bharatas, I loosed at Rama in battle a swift and mighty arrow that pierced the heart. Struck by the force of that arrow, Rama, letting fall his bow, sank to his knees upon the ground and fell into the grip of a swoon.
a03e403ed106 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:42:04 AM UTC
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Here the battle becomes a trial not only of strength but of Bhishma's endurance before fear, loss, and the sight of death. The charioteer's death breaks the ordinary order of chariot combat: Bhishma is left without support, falls, sees himself nearly slain, yet receives protection from brahmins and from Ganga. This matters: even when a kshatriya stands firm in his vow, his life is sustained not by personal valor alone but by blessing, lineage, and unseen grace. The omens at Rama's fall show that violence between such great souls shakes the world itself. Victory here again brings no triumph; each day ends only in a halt to the fighting, while the conflict endures like a heavy karma that cannot be quickly untied.