एतच् छ्रुत्वा वचो भीष्मः प्रहसन् वै मुहुर् मुहुः ॥
अब्रवीत् तनयं तुभ्यं क्रोधाद् उद्वृत्य चक्षुषी ॥
बहुशो हि मया राजंस् तथ्यम् उक्तं हितं वचः ॥
अजेयाः पाण्डवा युद्धे देवैर् अपि सवासवैः ॥
यत् तु शक्यं मया कर्तुं वृद्धेनाद्य नृपोत्तम ॥
करिष्यामि यथाशक्ति प्रेक्षेदानीं सबान्धवः ॥
अद्य पाण्डुसुतान् सर्वान् ससैन्यान् सह बन्धुभिः ॥
मिषतो वारयिष्यामि सर्वलोकस्य पश्यतः ॥
एवम् उक्ते तु भीष्मेण पुत्रास् तव जनेश्वर ॥
दध्मुः शङ्खान् मुदा युक्ता भेरीश् च जघ्निरे भृशम् ॥
पाण्डवापि ततो राजञ् श्रुत्वा तं निनदं महत् ॥
दध्मुः शङ्खांश् च भेरीश् च मुरजांश् च व्यनादयन् ॥
etac chrutvā vaco bhīṣmaḥ prahasan vai muhur muhuḥ ||
abravīt tanayaṃ tubhyaṃ krodhād udvṛtya cakṣuṣī ||
bahuśo hi mayā rājaṃs tathyam uktaṃ hitaṃ vacaḥ ||
ajeyāḥ pāṇḍavā yuddhe devair api savāsavaiḥ ||
yat tu śakyaṃ mayā kartuṃ vṛddhenādya nṛpottama ||
kariṣyāmi yathāśakti prekṣedānīṃ sabāndhavaḥ ||
adya pāṇḍusutān sarvān sasainyān saha bandhubhiḥ ||
miṣato vārayiṣyāmi sarvalokasya paśyataḥ ||
evam ukte tu bhīṣmeṇa putrās tava janeśvara ||
dadhmuḥ śaṅkhān mudā yuktā bherīś ca jaghnire bhṛśam ||
pāṇḍavāpi tato rājañ śrutvā taṃ ninadaṃ mahat ||
dadhmuḥ śaṅkhāṃś ca bherīś ca murajāṃś ca vyanādayan ||
Having heard this speech, Bhishma, laughing again and again, raised his eyes in anger and said to your son: "Many times, O king, I have spoken a true and beneficial word: the Pandavas cannot be conquered in battle even by the gods together with Vasava. But what I, an old man, can do today, O foremost of kings, I shall do to the best of my ability. Watch now, together with your kin: today I shall hold back all the sons of Pandu, together with their armies and kinsmen, before the eyes of the whole world." When Bhishma had spoken thus, your sons, O lord of men, joyfully blew their conches and loudly struck the bheris. Hearing this great sound, the Pandavas too, O king, blew their conches, bheris, and murajas."
9845f057dd60 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:22:45 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Bhishma answers not with a promise of impossible victory, but with a promise to do all that his strength allows. His truth remains double-edged: he knows the Pandavas cannot be conquered, yet he still goes forth to perform the duty that binds him to the throne of the Kurus.