स समन्तात् परिवृतः पिता देवव्रतस् तव ॥
चिक्रीद धनुषा राजन् पातयानो महारथान् ॥
तं चरन्तं रणे पार्था ददृशुः कौरवं युधि ॥
मृगमध्यं प्रविश्येव यथा सिंहशिशुं वने ॥
तर्जयानं रणे शूरांस् त्रासयानं च सायकैः ॥
दृष्ट्वा त्रेसुर् महाराज सिंहं मृगगणा इव ॥
रणे भरतसिंहस्य ददृशुः क्षत्रिया गतिम् ॥
अग्नेर् वायुसहायस्य यथा कक्षं दिधक्षतः ॥
शिरांसि रथिनां भीष्मः पातयाम् आस संयुगे ॥
तालेभ्य इव पक्वानि फलानि कुशलो नरः ॥
पतद्भिश् च महाराज शिरोभिर् धरणीतले ॥
बभूव तुमुलः शब्दः पतताम् अश्मनाम् इव ॥
तस्मिंस् तु तुमुले युद्धे वर्तमाने सुदारुणे ॥
सर्वेषाम् एव सैन्यानाम् आसीद् व्यतिकरो महान् ॥
भिन्नेषु तेषु व्यूहेषु क्षत्रिया इतरेतरम् ॥
एकम् एकं समाहूय युद्धायैवोपतस्थिरे ॥
शिखण्डी तु समासाद्य भरतानां पितामहम् ॥
अभिदुद्राव वेगेन तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् ॥
अनादृत्य ततो भीष्मस् तं शिखण्डिनम् आहवे ॥
प्रययौ सृञ्जयान् क्रुद्धः स्त्रीत्वं चिन्त्य शिखण्डिनः ॥
सृञ्जयास् तु ततो हृष्टा दृष्ट्वा भीष्मं महारथम् ॥
सिंहनादान् बहुविधांश् चक्रुः शङ्खविमिश्रितान् ॥
ततः प्रववृते युद्धं व्यतिषक्तरथद्विपम् ॥
अपरां दिशम् आस्थाय स्थिते सवितरि प्रभो ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नो ऽथ पाञ्चाल्यः सात्यकिश् च महारथः ॥
पीडयन्तौ भृशं सैन्यं शक्तितोमरवृष्टिभिः ॥
शस्त्रैश् च बहुभी राजञ् जघ्नतुस् तावकान् रणे ॥
ते हन्यमानाः समरे तावकाः पुरुषर्षभ ॥
आर्यां युद्धे मतिं कृत्वा न त्यजन्ति स्म संयुगम् ॥
यथोत्साहं च समरे जघ्नुर् लोकं महारथाः ॥
sa samantāt parivṛtaḥ pitā devavratas tava ||
cikrīda dhanuṣā rājan pātayāno mahārathān ||
taṃ carantaṃ raṇe pārthā dadṛśuḥ kauravaṃ yudhi ||
mṛgamadhyaṃ praviśyeva yathā siṃhaśiśuṃ vane ||
tarjayānaṃ raṇe śūrāṃs trāsayānaṃ ca sāyakaiḥ ||
dṛṣṭvā tresur mahārāja siṃhaṃ mṛgagaṇā iva ||
raṇe bharatasiṃhasya dadṛśuḥ kṣatriyā gatim ||
agner vāyusahāyasya yathā kakṣaṃ didhakṣataḥ ||
śirāṃsi rathināṃ bhīṣmaḥ pātayām āsa saṃyuge ||
tālebhya iva pakvāni phalāni kuśalo naraḥ ||
patadbhiś ca mahārāja śirobhir dharaṇītale ||
babhūva tumulaḥ śabdaḥ patatām aśmanām iva ||
tasmiṃs tu tumule yuddhe vartamāne sudāruṇe ||
sarveṣām eva sainyānām āsīd vyatikaro mahān ||
bhinneṣu teṣu vyūheṣu kṣatriyā itaretaram ||
ekam ekaṃ samāhūya yuddhāyaivopatasthire ||
śikhaṇḍī tu samāsādya bharatānāṃ pitāmaham ||
abhidudrāva vegena tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti cābravīt ||
anādṛtya tato bhīṣmas taṃ śikhaṇḍinam āhave ||
prayayau sṛñjayān kruddhaḥ strītvaṃ cintya śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
sṛñjayās tu tato hṛṣṭā dṛṣṭvā bhīṣmaṃ mahāratham ||
siṃhanādān bahuvidhāṃś cakruḥ śaṅkhavimiśritān ||
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ vyatiṣaktarathadvipam ||
aparāṃ diśam āsthāya sthite savitari prabho ||
dhṛṣṭadyumno 'tha pāñcālyaḥ sātyakiś ca mahārathaḥ ||
pīḍayantau bhṛśaṃ sainyaṃ śaktitomaravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
śastraiś ca bahubhī rājañ jaghnatus tāvakān raṇe ||
te hanyamānāḥ samare tāvakāḥ puruṣarṣabha ||
āryāṃ yuddhe matiṃ kṛtvā na tyajanti sma saṃyugam ||
yathotsāhaṃ ca samare jaghnur lokaṃ mahārathāḥ ||
Surrounded on every side, your father Devavrata, O king, seemed to play with his bow, felling great warriors. The Parthas saw this Kaurava moving through the battle like a young lion that had entered the midst of a herd of deer in the forest. Seeing him menace the heroes and strike terror with his arrows, they trembled, O great king, like herds of beasts before a lion. The kshatriyas watched the movement of this lion of the Bharatas in the battle — like the movement of fire aided by wind, eager to burn the dry brushwood. Bhishma, in the fight, felled the heads of the chariot-warriors as a skillful man brings down ripe fruit from palm trees. From the heads falling to the ground, O great king, there arose a tumultuous sound, as of falling stones. While this most dreadful and tumultuous battle continued, a great confusion arose among all the armies. When the battle-arrays were broken, the kshatriyas called out to one another, each to each, and stood forth for single combat. Then Shikhandin, coming up to the grandsire of the Bharatas, charged at him with great speed, crying, 'Stand! Stand!' But Bhishma, paying him no heed, mindful of Shikhandin's womanhood, advanced upon the Srinjayas in fury. The Srinjayas, rejoicing at the sight of Bhishma the great warrior, raised many kinds of lion-roars mingled with the blare of conches. Then, as the sun turned toward the western quarter, the battle broke out anew, with chariots and elephants intermingled. Dhrishtadyumna the Panchala and the great warrior Satyaki, sorely oppressing the army with showers of shakti-spears and tomaras and with many other weapons, struck down your men in the battle, O king. But your men, though slain in the fight, O bull among men, having resolved to fight nobly, did not abandon the combat; the great warriors fought according to their zeal and struck down the host of men."
480ecf1bc0f9 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:46:24 PM UTC
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Bhishma in this scene is nearly superhuman: a lion among beasts, a fire fed by wind, a man effortlessly shaking down fruit. Yet even before such power Shikhandin steps forward, and the Srinjayas raise their war-cry. Their hope rests not on Bhishma being weak, but on the conviction that he must be stopped all the same.