ततस् तत् पुनर् आवृत्तं युधिष्ठिरबलं महत् ॥
दृष्ट्वा पार्थं महाबाहुं भीष्मायोद्यन्तम् आहवे ॥
ततो भीष्मः कुरुश्रेष्ठः सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः ॥
धनंजयरथं शीघ्रं शरवर्षैर् अवाकिरत् ॥
क्षणेन स रथस् तस्य सहयः सहसारथिः ॥
शरवर्षेण महता न प्राज्ञायत किं चन ॥
वासुदेवस् त्व् असंभ्रान्तो धैर्यम् आस्थाय सात्वतः ॥
चोदयाम् आस तान् अश्वान् वितुन्नान् भीष्मसायकैः ॥
ततः पार्थो धनुर् गृह्य दिव्यं जलदनिस्वनम् ॥
पातयाम् आस भीष्मस्य धनुश् छित्त्वा शितैः 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 कुन्तीसुतेति च ॥
समाभाष्यैनम् अपरं प्रगृह्य रुचिरं धनुः ॥
मुमोच समरे भीष्मः शरान् पार्थरथं प्रति ॥
अदर्शयद् वासुदेवो हययाने परं बलम् ॥
मोघान् कुर्वञ् शरांस् तस्य मण्डलानि विदर्शयन् ॥
शुशुभाते नरव्याघ्रौ भीष्मपार्थौ शरक्षतौ ॥
गोवृषाव् इव संरब्धौ विषाणोल्लिखिताङ्कितौ ॥
tatas tat punar āvṛttaṃ yudhiṣṭhirabalaṃ mahat ||
dṛṣṭvā pārthaṃ mahābāhuṃ bhīṣmāyodyantam āhave ||
tato bhīṣmaḥ kuruśreṣṭhaḥ siṃhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
dhanaṃjayarathaṃ śīghraṃ śaravarṣair avākirat ||
kṣaṇena sa rathas tasya sahayaḥ sahasārathiḥ ||
śaravarṣeṇa mahatā na prājñāyata kiṃ cana ||
vāsudevas tv asaṃbhrānto dhairyam āsthāya sātvataḥ ||
codayām āsa tān aśvān vitunnān bhīṣmasāyakaiḥ ||
tataḥ pārtho dhanur gṛhya divyaṃ jaladanisvanam ||
pātayām āsa bhīṣmasya dhanuś chittvā śitaiḥ 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 kuntīsuteti ca ||
samābhāṣyainam aparaṃ pragṛhya ruciraṃ dhanuḥ ||
mumoca samare bhīṣmaḥ śarān pārtharathaṃ prati ||
adarśayad vāsudevo hayayāne paraṃ balam ||
moghān kurvañ śarāṃs tasya maṇḍalāni vidarśayan ||
śuśubhāte naravyāghrau bhīṣmapārthau śarakṣatau ||
govṛṣāv iva saṃrabdhau viṣāṇollikhitāṅkitau ||
Then the great army of Yudhishthira turned back again, seeing the mighty-armed Partha advancing on Bhishma in battle. Bhishma, best of the Kurus, roaring again and again like a lion, swiftly covered Dhananjaya's chariot with showers of arrows. In a moment his chariot, together with its horses and charioteer, became indistinguishable beneath the enormous rain of arrows. But Vasudeva, the Satvata, undismayed and holding firmly to his composure, drove on those horses, pierced by Bhishma's arrows. Then Partha took up his divine bow, thundering like a rain-cloud, and with sharp arrows cut through and felled Bhishma's bow. Your father, the Kauravya, his bow severed, in the space of a blink strung yet another great bow. He drew with both arms the bow that roared like a cloud, but Arjuna, in anger, cut this one too. The son of Shantanu was delighted by his deftness and said: 'Well done, Partha, mighty-armed one! Well done, son of Kunti!' Having addressed him so, Bhishma took up another splendid bow and, on the battlefield, loosed arrows at Partha's chariot. Vasudeva displayed his supreme mastery of horsemanship, rendering Bhishma's arrows futile by showing wheeling maneuvers. The two tigers among men, Bhishma and Partha, wounded by arrows, shone like two enraged bulls scored by each other's horns.'
b2df807f4a73 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:55:41 PM UTC
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The duel between Bhishma and Arjuna rests on mutual recognition of skill. Bhishma praises Arjuna openly in the midst of battle, and Krishna shows that guarding the chariot is itself a form of the highest valor.