तम् आसाद्य महावेगैर् भीष्मो नवभिर् आशुगैः ॥
विव्याध समरे तूर्णम् आर्जुनिं परवीरहा ॥
ध्वजं चास्य त्रिभिर् भल्लैश् चिच्छेद परमौजसः ॥
सारथिं च त्रिभिर् बाणैर् आजघान यतव्रतः ॥
तथैव कृतवर्मा च कृपः शल्यश् च मारिष ॥
विद्ध्वा नाकम्पयत् कार्ष्णिं मैनाकम् इव पर्वतम् ॥
स तैः परिवृतः शूरो धार्तराष्ट्रैर् महारथैः ॥
ववर्ष शरवर्षाणि कार्ष्णिः पञ्चरथान् प्रति ॥
ततस् तेषां महास्त्राणि संवार्य शरवृष्टिभिः ॥
ननाद बलवान् कार्ष्णिर् भीष्माय विसृजञ् शरान् ॥
तत्रास्य सुमहद् राजन् बाह्वोर् बलम् अदृश्यत ॥
यतमानस्य समरे भीष्मम् अर्दयतः शरैः ॥
पराक्रान्तस्य तस्यैव भीष्मो ऽपि प्राहिणोच् छरान् ॥
स तांश् चिच्छेद समरे भीष्मचापच्युताञ् शरान् ॥
ततो ध्वजम् अमोघेषुर् भीष्मस्य नवभिः शरैः ॥
चिच्छेद समरे वीरस् तत उच्चुक्रुशुर् जनाः ॥
स राजतो महास्कन्धस् तालो हेमविभूषितः ॥
सौभद्रविशिखैश् छिन्नः पपात भुवि भारत ॥
ध्वजं सौभद्रविशिखैः पतितं भरतर्षभ ॥
दृष्ट्वा भीमो ऽनदद् धृष्टः सौभद्रम् अभिहर्षयन् ॥
अथ भीष्मो महास्त्राणि दिव्यानि च बहूनि च ॥
प्रादुश्चक्रे महारौद्रः क्षणे तस्मिन् महाबलः ॥
ततः शतसहस्रेण सौभद्रं प्रपितामहः ॥
अवाकिरद् अमेयात्मा शराणां नतपर्वणाम् ॥
tam āsādya mahāvegair bhīṣmo navabhir āśugaiḥ ||
vivyādha samare tūrṇam ārjuniṃ paravīrahā ||
dhvajaṃ cāsya tribhir bhallaiś ciccheda paramaujasaḥ ||
sārathiṃ ca tribhir bāṇair ājaghāna yatavrataḥ ||
tathaiva kṛtavarmā ca kṛpaḥ śalyaś ca māriṣa ||
viddhvā nākampayat kārṣṇiṃ mainākam iva parvatam ||
sa taiḥ parivṛtaḥ śūro dhārtarāṣṭrair mahārathaiḥ ||
vavarṣa śaravarṣāṇi kārṣṇiḥ pañcarathān prati ||
tatas teṣāṃ mahāstrāṇi saṃvārya śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
nanāda balavān kārṣṇir bhīṣmāya visṛjañ śarān ||
tatrāsya sumahad rājan bāhvor balam adṛśyata ||
yatamānasya samare bhīṣmam ardayataḥ śaraiḥ ||
parākrāntasya tasyaiva bhīṣmo 'pi prāhiṇoc charān ||
sa tāṃś ciccheda samare bhīṣmacāpacyutāñ śarān ||
tato dhvajam amogheṣur bhīṣmasya navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
ciccheda samare vīras tata uccukruśur janāḥ ||
sa rājato mahāskandhas tālo hemavibhūṣitaḥ ||
saubhadraviśikhaiś chinnaḥ papāta bhuvi bhārata ||
dhvajaṃ saubhadraviśikhaiḥ patitaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
dṛṣṭvā bhīmo 'nadad dhṛṣṭaḥ saubhadram abhiharṣayan ||
atha bhīṣmo mahāstrāṇi divyāni ca bahūni ca ||
prāduścakre mahāraudraḥ kṣaṇe tasmin mahābalaḥ ||
tataḥ śatasahasreṇa saubhadraṃ prapitāmahaḥ ||
avākirad ameyātmā śarāṇāṃ nataparvaṇām ||
Reaching him, Bhishma, slayer of enemy heroes, swiftly pierced Arjuna's son with nine fleet arrows. With three bhalla-arrows he cut down the standard of that mighty warrior, and with three arrows he struck his charioteer. In the same way Kritavarman, Kripa, and Shalya, O worthy one, pierced Subhadra's son, but they could not shake him, no more than they could have shaken the mountain Mainaka. Surrounded by these great charioteers of Dhritarashtra's son, the hero poured down showers of arrows upon the five chariots. Then, warding off their mighty weapons with his own rains of arrows, the powerful son of Subhadra roared as he loosed shafts at Bhishma. There, O king, the great strength of his arms was seen: he strove in the battle and harried Bhishma with arrows. As he pressed forward so boldly, Bhishma too sent forth arrows, but the youth cut down in that battle the shafts that had flown from Bhishma's bow. Then the unerring hero, with nine arrows, cut down Bhishma's banner in the fight, and the warriors cried out. The silvery, great-trunked palm tree, adorned with gold, severed by the arrows of Subhadra's son, fell to the ground, O Bharata. Seeing that the standard had fallen before Abhimanyu's arrows, Bhima roared in exultant joy, cheering on the son of Subhadra. Then the terrible and mighty Bhishma, in that very instant, brought forth many great and celestial weapons, and the great-grandfather, of immeasurable spirit, showered a hundred thousand curved-jointed arrows upon Saubhadra."
0f1e327aafee · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
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The fall of Bhishma's banner shows for a moment that even ancient, near-unshakable authority can be jolted by sheer courage. But Bhishma's response reminds us that heroic daring meets the full weight of accumulated power and destiny.