ततो भरतशार्दूल धिष्ण्यम् आकाशगं यथा ॥
सा माम् अभ्यहनत् तूर्णम् अंसदेशे च भारत ॥
अथासृङ् मे ऽस्रवद् घोरं गिरेर् गैरिकधातुवत् ॥
रामेण सुमहाबाहो क्षतस्य क्षतजेक्षण ॥
ततो ऽहं जामदग्न्याय भृशं क्रोधसमन्वितः ॥
प्रेषयं मृत्युसंकाशं बाणं सर्पविषोपमम् ॥
स तेनाभिहतो वीरो ललाटे द्विजसत्तमः ॥
अशोभत महाराज सशृङ्ग इव पर्वतः ॥
स संरब्धः समावृत्य बाणं कालान्तकोपमम् ॥
संदधे बलवत् कृष्य घोरं शत्रुनिबर्हणम् ॥
tato bharataśārdūla dhiṣṇyam ākāśagaṃ yathā ||
sā mām abhyahanat tūrṇam aṃsadeśe ca bhārata ||
athāsṛṅ me 'sravad ghoraṃ girer gairikadhātuvat ||
rāmeṇa sumahābāho kṣatasya kṣatajekṣaṇa ||
tato 'haṃ jāmadagnyāya bhṛśaṃ krodhasamanvitaḥ ||
preṣayaṃ mṛtyusaṃkāśaṃ bāṇaṃ sarpaviṣopamam ||
sa tenābhihato vīro lalāṭe dvijasattamaḥ ||
aśobhata mahārāja saśṛṅga iva parvataḥ ||
sa saṃrabdhaḥ samāvṛtya bāṇaṃ kālāntakopamam ||
saṃdadhe balavat kṛṣya ghoraṃ śatrunibarhaṇam ||
Then, O tiger among the Bharatas, that spear, like a meteor coursing through the sky, swiftly struck me in the shoulder, O Bharata. After this my blood flowed terribly, like red ochre from a mountain, where Rama had wounded me, O mighty-armed one, O blood-eyed one. Then I, greatly enraged, sent at Jamadagnya an arrow resembling death and serpent venom. Struck by it on the forehead, that hero, the best of the twice-born, shone, O great king, like a mountain with its peak. Then he, in fury, wheeled about, drew his mighty bow, and set upon the string a terrible arrow, like the end of time, destroying all foes.
2d458fb859d5 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:42:04 AM UTC
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In this chapter, the instruction received in sleep turns into action, but before the Prasvapa can be used, the battle reaches its most perilous edge: two brahmastras meet. The world responds not as a spectator but as a living whole — the sky blazes, the quarters smoke, and creatures suffer from the heat. This shows that the supreme weapon is not a mere technique for victory; it touches the very order of the cosmos. Bhishma waits for the moment to use the Prasvapa not out of a wish to destroy Rama, but to halt the destruction without killing his teacher. Thus dharma here calls not for maximum force, but for measure.