ततो ऽहं पुनर् एवाथ तान् अष्टौ ब्रह्मवादिनः ॥
अद्राक्षं दीप्यमानान् वै ग्रहान् अष्टाव् इवोदितान् ॥
ते मां सप्रणयं वाक्यम् अब्रुवन् समरे स्थितम् ॥
प्रैहि रामं महाबाहो गुरुं लोकहितं कुरु ॥
दृष्ट्वा निवर्तितं रामं सुहृद्वाक्येन तेन वै ॥
लोकानां च हितं कुर्वन्न् अहम् अप्य् आददे वचः ॥
ततो ऽहं रामम् आसाद्य ववन्दे भृशविक्षतः ॥
रामश् चाभ्युत्स्मयन् प्रेम्णा माम् उवाच महातपाः ॥
त्वत्समो नास्ति लोके ऽस्मिन् क्षत्रियः पृथिवीचरः ॥
गम्यतां भीष्म युद्धे ऽस्मिंस् तोषितो ऽहं भृशं त्वया ॥
tato 'haṃ punar evātha tān aṣṭau brahmavādinaḥ ||
adrākṣaṃ dīpyamānān vai grahān aṣṭāv ivoditān ||
te māṃ sapraṇayaṃ vākyam abruvan samare sthitam ||
praihi rāmaṃ mahābāho guruṃ lokahitaṃ kuru ||
dṛṣṭvā nivartitaṃ rāmaṃ suhṛdvākyena tena vai ||
lokānāṃ ca hitaṃ kurvann aham apy ādade vacaḥ ||
tato 'haṃ rāmam āsādya vavande bhṛśavikṣataḥ ||
rāmaś cābhyutsmayan premṇā mām uvāca mahātapāḥ ||
tvatsamo nāsti loke 'smin kṣatriyaḥ pṛthivīcaraḥ ||
gamyatāṃ bhīṣma yuddhe 'smiṃs toṣito 'haṃ bhṛśaṃ tvayā ||
Then I again beheld those eight knowers of Brahman, radiant like eight risen planets. They spoke to me kindly as I stood in the battle: 'Go to Rama, O mighty-armed one; honor your teacher and act for the good of the worlds.' Seeing that Rama had been stopped by a friend's words, I too, acting for the good of the worlds, accepted their counsel. Then I approached Rama and bowed to him, though grievously wounded. And Rama, the great ascetic, smiling with affection, said to me: 'There is no kshatriya walking this earth equal to you in this world. Go, Bhishma; in this battle I am deeply satisfied with you.'
64926f499296 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:42:04 AM UTC
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Here the duel finally comes to a stop — not through defeat, but through the intervention of a higher order. Narada, the gods, the ancestors, the sages, and Ganga restrain them both: Bhishma from using Prasvapa against his teacher, and Rama from continuing to fight a kshatriya whom he neither should nor can kill. The chapter shows a rare form of victory: both sides keep their vow, yet accept the limit set by dharma. It is especially significant that Bhishma bows to Rama once the battle stops. He does not turn strength into pride; reverence for the guru remains higher than a warrior's self-regard.