ततो ऽश्वान् रजतप्रख्यांश् चोदयाम् आस माधवः ॥
यतो भीष्मरथो राजन् दुष्प्रेक्ष्यो रश्मिमान् इव ॥
ततस् तत् पुनर् आवृत्तं युधिष्ठिरबलं महत् ॥
दृष्ट्वा पार्थं महाबाहुं भीष्मायोद्यन्तम् आहवे ॥
ततो भीष्मः कुरुश्रेष्ठः सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः ॥
धनंजयरथं तूर्णं शरवर्षैर् अवाकिरत् ॥
क्षणेन स रथस् तस्य सहयः सहसारथिः ॥
शरवर्षेण महता संछन्नो न प्रकाशते ॥
वासुदेवस् त्व् असंभ्रान्तो धैर्यम् आस्थाय सत्त्ववान् ॥
चोदयाम् आस तान् अश्वान् वितुन्नान् भीष्मसायकैः ॥
ततः पार्थो धनुर् गृह्य दिव्यं जलदनिस्वनम् ॥
पातयाम् आस भीष्मस्य धनुश् छित्त्वा त्रिभिः शरैः ॥
स च्छिन्नधन्वा कौरव्यः पुनर् अन्यन् महद् धनुः ॥
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण सज्यं चक्रे पिता तव ॥
विचकर्ष ततो दोर्भ्यां धनुर् जलदनिस्वनम् ॥
अथास्य तद् अपि क्रुद्धश् चिच्छेद धनुर् अर्जुनः ॥
तस्य तत् पूजयाम् आस लाघवं शंतनोः सुतः ॥
साधु पार्थ महाबाहो साधु भो पाण्डुनन्दन ॥
त्वय्य् एवैतद् युक्तरूपं महत् कर्म धनंजय ॥
प्रीतो ऽस्मि सुदृढं पुत्र कुरु युद्धं मया सह ॥
इति पार्थं प्रशस्याथ प्रगृह्यान्यन् महद् धनुः ॥
मुमोच समरे वीरः शरान् पार्थरथं प्रति ॥
अदर्शयद् वासुदेवो हययाने परं बलम् ॥
मोघान् कुर्वञ् शरांस् तस्य मण्डलान्य् अचरल् लघु ॥
तथापि भीष्मः सुदृढं वासुदेवधनंजयौ ॥
विव्याध निशितैर् बाणैः सर्वगात्रेषु मारिष ॥
शुशुभाते नरव्याघ्रौ तौ भीष्मशरविक्षतौ ॥
गोवृषाव् इव नर्दन्तौ विषाणोल्लिखिताङ्कितौ ॥
पुनश् चापि सुसंक्रुद्धः शरैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
कृष्णयोर् युधि संरब्धो भीष्मो व्यावारयद् दिशः ॥
वार्ष्णेयं च शरैस् तीक्ष्णैः कम्पयाम् आस रोषितः ॥
मुहुर् अभ्युत्स्मयन् भीष्मः प्रहस्य स्वनवत् तदा ॥
tato 'śvān rajataprakhyāṃś codayām āsa mādhavaḥ ||
yato bhīṣmaratho rājan duṣprekṣyo raśmimān iva ||
tatas tat punar āvṛttaṃ yudhiṣṭhirabalaṃ mahat ||
dṛṣṭvā pārthaṃ mahābāhuṃ bhīṣmāyodyantam āhave ||
tato bhīṣmaḥ kuruśreṣṭhaḥ siṃhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
dhanaṃjayarathaṃ tūrṇaṃ śaravarṣair avākirat ||
kṣaṇena sa rathas tasya sahayaḥ sahasārathiḥ ||
śaravarṣeṇa mahatā saṃchanno na prakāśate ||
vāsudevas tv asaṃbhrānto dhairyam āsthāya sattvavān ||
codayām āsa tān aśvān vitunnān bhīṣmasāyakaiḥ ||
tataḥ pārtho dhanur gṛhya divyaṃ jaladanisvanam ||
pātayām āsa bhīṣmasya dhanuś chittvā tribhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
sa cchinnadhanvā kauravyaḥ punar anyan mahad dhanuḥ ||
nimeṣāntaramātreṇa sajyaṃ cakre pitā tava ||
vicakarṣa tato dorbhyāṃ dhanur jaladanisvanam ||
athāsya tad api kruddhaś ciccheda dhanur arjunaḥ ||
tasya tat pūjayām āsa lāghavaṃ śaṃtanoḥ sutaḥ ||
sādhu pārtha mahābāho sādhu bho pāṇḍunandana ||
tvayy evaitad yuktarūpaṃ mahat karma dhanaṃjaya ||
prīto 'smi sudṛḍhaṃ putra kuru yuddhaṃ mayā saha ||
iti pārthaṃ praśasyātha pragṛhyānyan mahad dhanuḥ ||
mumoca samare vīraḥ śarān pārtharathaṃ prati ||
adarśayad vāsudevo hayayāne paraṃ balam ||
moghān kurvañ śarāṃs tasya maṇḍalāny acaral laghu ||
tathāpi bhīṣmaḥ sudṛḍhaṃ vāsudevadhanaṃjayau ||
vivyādha niśitair bāṇaiḥ sarvagātreṣu māriṣa ||
śuśubhāte naravyāghrau tau bhīṣmaśaravikṣatau ||
govṛṣāv iva nardantau viṣāṇollikhitāṅkitau ||
punaś cāpi susaṃkruddhaḥ śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
kṛṣṇayor yudhi saṃrabdho bhīṣmo vyāvārayad diśaḥ ||
vārṣṇeyaṃ ca śarais tīkṣṇaiḥ kampayām āsa roṣitaḥ ||
muhur abhyutsmayan bhīṣmaḥ prahasya svanavat tadā ||
Then Madhava drove on the silver-hued horses to where Bhishma's chariot stood, dazzling like the sun, O king. Seeing the mighty-armed Partha advancing against Bhishma in battle, the great army of Yudhishthira turned back once more. Then Bhishma, best of the Kurus, roaring again and again like a lion, swiftly covered Dhananjaya's chariot with showers of arrows. In an instant that chariot, together with its horses and its charioteer, was so hidden beneath the great rain of arrows that it could no longer be seen. But Vasudeva, unshaken and holding fast to his composure, drove on those horses, wounded as they were by Bhishma's shafts. Then Partha took up his divine bow, thundering like a cloud, and with three arrows cut down Bhishma's bow. His bow severed, that Kauravya, your father, within the span of a single eye-blink strung yet another great bow. Then he drew that cloud-voiced bow with both arms — but Arjuna, in anger, cut through this one as well. The son of Shantanu praised his swiftness: "Well done, Partha, mighty-armed one! Well done, O son of Pandu! Only you could accomplish so great a deed, Dhananjaya. I am greatly pleased, my son — fight on with me." Having praised Partha thus, the hero took up another great bow and loosed his arrows in battle toward Partha's chariot. Vasudeva displayed his supreme mastery of horsemanship: rendering Bhishma's arrows futile, he wheeled the chariot swiftly in circles. Even so, Bhishma struck Vasudeva and Dhananjaya forcefully with sharp arrows over every limb, O venerable one. The two tigers among men, wounded by Bhishma's shafts, shone like two bellowing bulls marked with the scratches of horns. Again, greatly enraged, Bhishma, furious against the two Krishnas in battle, sealed off every direction with well-jointed arrows. In his fury he made the Vrishni scion tremble with sharp arrows, and then Bhishma smiled again and again, laughing aloud.
b757dcaba380 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:22:45 PM UTC
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This scene reveals a rare beauty within the warrior's dharma: Bhishma delights in Arjuna's skill even in a fight to the death. Yet alongside this beauty stands another reality — Krishna, having become a charioteer, absorbs the arrows to shield His devotee.