संजय उवाच
तस्मिन् महति संक्रन्दे राजा दुर्योधनस् तदा ॥
गाङ्गेयम् उपसंगम्य विनयेनाभिवाद्य च ॥
तस्य सर्वं यथावृत्तम् आख्यातुम् उपचक्रमे ॥
घटोत्कचस्य विजयम् आत्मनश् च पराजयम् ॥
कथयाम् आस दुर्धर्षो विनिःश्वस्य पुनः पुनः ॥
अब्रवीच् च तदा राजन् भीष्मं कुरुपितामहम् ॥
भवन्तं समुपाश्रित्य वासुदेवं यथा परैः ॥
पाण्डवैर् विग्रहो घोरः समारब्धो मया प्रभो ॥
एकादश समाख्याता अक्षौहिण्यश् च या मम ॥
निदेशे तव तिष्ठन्ति मया सार्धं परंतप ॥
सो ऽहं भरतशार्दूल भीमसेनपुरोगमैः ॥
घटोत्कचं समाश्रित्य पाण्डवैर् युधि निर्जितः ॥
तन् मे दहति गात्राणि शुष्कवृक्षम् इवानलः ॥
तद् इच्छामि महाभाग त्वत्प्रसादात् परंतप ॥
राक्षसापसदं हन्तुं स्वयम् एव पितामह ॥
त्वां समाश्रित्य दुर्धर्षं तन् मे कर्तुं त्वम् अर्हसि ॥
एतच् छ्रुत्वा तु वचनं राज्ञो भरतसत्तम ॥
दुर्योधनम् इदं वाक्यं भीष्मः शांतनवो ऽब्रवीत् ॥
शृणु राजन् मम वचो यत् त्वा वक्ष्यामि कौरव ॥
यथा त्वया महाराज वर्तितव्यं परंतप ॥
आत्मा रक्ष्यो रणे तात सर्वावस्थास्व् अरिंदम ॥
धर्मराजेन संग्रामस् त्वया कार्यः सदानघ ॥
अर्जुनेन यमाभ्यां वा भीमसेनेन वा पुनः ॥
राजधर्मं पुरस्कृत्य राजा राजानम् ऋच्छति ॥
अहं द्रोणः कृपो द्रौणिः कृतवर्मा च सात्वतः ॥
शल्यश् च सौमदत्तिश् च विकर्णश् च महारथः ॥
तव च भ्रातरः शूरा दुःशासनपुरोगमाः ॥
त्वदर्थं प्रतियोत्स्यामो राक्षसं तं महाबलम् ॥
तस्मिन् रौद्रे राक्षसेन्द्रे यदि ते हृच्छयो महान् ॥
अयं वा गच्छतु रणे तस्य युद्धाय दुर्मतेः ॥
भगदत्तो महीपालः पुरंदरसमो युधि ॥
एतावद् उक्त्वा राजानं भगदत्तम् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
समक्षं पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य वाक्यं वाक्यविशारदः ॥
गच्छ शीघ्रं महाराज हैडिम्बं युद्धदुर्मदम् ॥
वारयस्व रणे यत्तो मिषतां सर्वधन्विनाम् ॥
राक्षसं क्रूरकर्माणं यथेन्द्रस् तारकं पुरा ॥
तव दिव्यानि चास्त्राणि विक्रमश् च परंतप ॥
समागमश् च बहुभिः पुराभूद् असुरैः सह ॥
त्वं तस्य राजशार्दूल प्रतियोद्धा महाहवे ॥
स्वबलेन वृतो राजञ् जहि राक्षसपुंगवम् ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
tasmin mahati saṃkrande rājā duryodhanas tadā ||
gāṅgeyam upasaṃgamya vinayenābhivādya ca ||
tasya sarvaṃ yathāvṛttam ākhyātum upacakrame ||
ghaṭotkacasya vijayam ātmanaś ca parājayam ||
kathayām āsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ ||
abravīc ca tadā rājan bhīṣmaṃ kurupitāmaham ||
bhavantaṃ samupāśritya vāsudevaṃ yathā paraiḥ ||
pāṇḍavair vigraho ghoraḥ samārabdho mayā prabho ||
ekādaśa samākhyātā akṣauhiṇyaś ca yā mama ||
nideśe tava tiṣṭhanti mayā sārdhaṃ paraṃtapa ||
so 'haṃ bharataśārdūla bhīmasenapurogamaiḥ ||
ghaṭotkacaṃ samāśritya pāṇḍavair yudhi nirjitaḥ ||
tan me dahati gātrāṇi śuṣkavṛkṣam ivānalaḥ ||
tad icchāmi mahābhāga tvatprasādāt paraṃtapa ||
rākṣasāpasadaṃ hantuṃ svayam eva pitāmaha ||
tvāṃ samāśritya durdharṣaṃ tan me kartuṃ tvam arhasi ||
etac chrutvā tu vacanaṃ rājño bharatasattama ||
duryodhanam idaṃ vākyaṃ bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavo 'bravīt ||
śṛṇu rājan mama vaco yat tvā vakṣyāmi kaurava ||
yathā tvayā mahārāja vartitavyaṃ paraṃtapa ||
ātmā rakṣyo raṇe tāta sarvāvasthāsv ariṃdama ||
dharmarājena saṃgrāmas tvayā kāryaḥ sadānagha ||
arjunena yamābhyāṃ vā bhīmasenena vā punaḥ ||
rājadharmaṃ puraskṛtya rājā rājānam ṛcchati ||
ahaṃ droṇaḥ kṛpo drauṇiḥ kṛtavarmā ca sātvataḥ ||
śalyaś ca saumadattiś ca vikarṇaś ca mahārathaḥ ||
tava ca bhrātaraḥ śūrā duḥśāsanapurogamāḥ ||
tvadarthaṃ pratiyotsyāmo rākṣasaṃ taṃ mahābalam ||
tasmin raudre rākṣasendre yadi te hṛcchayo mahān ||
ayaṃ vā gacchatu raṇe tasya yuddhāya durmateḥ ||
bhagadatto mahīpālaḥ puraṃdarasamo yudhi ||
etāvad uktvā rājānaṃ bhagadattam athābravīt ||
samakṣaṃ pārthivendrasya vākyaṃ vākyaviśāradaḥ ||
gaccha śīghraṃ mahārāja haiḍimbaṃ yuddhadurmadam ||
vārayasva raṇe yatto miṣatāṃ sarvadhanvinām ||
rākṣasaṃ krūrakarmāṇaṃ yathendras tārakaṃ purā ||
tava divyāni cāstrāṇi vikramaś ca paraṃtapa ||
samāgamaś ca bahubhiḥ purābhūd asuraiḥ saha ||
tvaṃ tasya rājaśārdūla pratiyoddhā mahāhave ||
svabalena vṛto rājañ jahi rākṣasapuṃgavam ||
Sanjaya said: 'In that great tumult, King Duryodhana approached Gangeya, bowed to him respectfully, and began to tell him everything that had happened: the victory of Ghatotkacha and his own defeat. The unconquerable Duryodhana, sighing again and again, told this and then said to Bhishma, grandsire of the Kurus: "Relying on you, lord, as enemies rely on Vasudeva, I began a terrible war with the Pandavas. My eleven akshauhinis stand together with me under your command, crusher of enemies. And yet I, tiger among the Bharatas, was defeated in battle by the Pandavas, who have Bhimasena at their head and who rely on Ghatotkacha. This burns my body as fire burns a dry tree. Therefore, great one, I wish, by your grace, to slay this contemptible rakshasa myself, grandsire. Trusting in you, the unassailable one, I ask: you must do this for me." Hearing the king's words, Bhishma, son of Shantanu, best of the Bharatas, said to Duryodhana: "Listen, king, to my words, O Kaurava, as to how you should act, great king. One must guard oneself in battle under all circumstances, my son, subduer of foes. You must fight with Dharmaraja, with Arjuna, with the two twins, or with Bhimasena: following the duty of a king, a king meets a king. I, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthaman, Kritavarman of the Satvatas, Shalya, Saumadatti, Vikarna the mahāratha, and your valiant brothers led by Duhshasana will fight that mighty rakshasa for your sake. If your desire regarding this fearsome lord of the rakshasas is so great, then let King Bhagadatta, who in battle is equal to Purandara, go forth to fight this villain." Having said this to the king, Bhishma, eloquent in speech, then, in the presence of the king, addressed Bhagadatta: "Go quickly, great king, and in battle restrain the frenzied Haidimba before the eyes of all the archers — this rakshasa of cruel deeds — as Indra once restrained Taraka. You possess divine astras and valor, crusher of enemies, and in the past you have had encounters with many asuras. You are his worthy match in this great battle, tiger among kings. Surrounded by your own army, O king, slay the foremost of the rakshasas."'
719f73b868f1 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:47:11 PM UTC
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Duryodhana takes his defeat as a personal humiliation and asks for the right to kill Ghatotkacha himself, but Bhishma calls him back to the measure proper to a king: a king must fight with kings, not hurl himself in rage at an opponent who calls for a different response. Bhishma's counsel here is not weakness but an effort to preserve order even within a war bent on destruction.