वासुदेवस् तु संप्रेक्ष्य पार्थस्य मृदुयुद्धताम् ॥
भीष्मं च शरवर्षाणि सृजन्तम् अनिशं युधि ॥
प्रतपन्तम् इवादित्यं मध्यम् आसाद्य सेनयोः ॥
वरान् वरान् विनिघ्नन्तं पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिकान् ॥
युगान्तम् इव कुर्वाणं भीष्मं यौधिष्ठिरे बले ॥
नामृष्यत महाबाहुर् माधवः परवीरहा ॥
उत्सृज्य रजतप्रख्यान् हयान् पार्थस्य मारिष ॥
क्रुद्धो नाम महायोगी प्रचस्कन्द महारथात् ॥
अभिदुद्राव भीष्मं स भुजप्रहरणो बली ॥
प्रतोदपाणिस् तेजस्वी सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः ॥
दारयन्न् इव पद्भ्यां स जगतीं जगतीश्वरः ॥
क्रोधताम्रेक्षणः कृष्णो जिघांसुर् अमितद्युतिः ॥
ग्रसन्न् इव च चेतांसि तावकानां महाहवे ॥
दृष्ट्वा माधवम् आक्रन्दे भीष्मायोद्यन्तम् आहवे ॥
हतो भीष्मो हतो भीष्म इति तत्र स्म सैनिकाः ॥
क्रोशन्तः प्राद्रवन् सर्वे वासुदेवभयान् नराः ॥
पीतकौशेयसंवीतो मणिश्यामो जनार्दनः ॥
शुशुभे विद्रवन् भीष्मं विद्युन्माली यथाम्बुदः ॥
स सिंह इव मातङ्गं यूथर्षभ इवर्षभम् ॥
अभिदुद्राव तेजस्वी विनदन् यादवर्षभः ॥
तम् आपतन्तं संप्रेक्ष्य पुण्डरीकाक्षम् आहवे ॥
असंभ्रमं रणे भीष्मो विचकर्ष महद् धनुः ॥
उवाच चैनं गोविन्दम् असंभ्रान्तेन चेतसा ॥
एह्य् एहि पुण्डरीकाक्ष देवदेव नमो ऽस्तु ते ॥
माम् अद्य सात्वतश्रेष्ठ पातयस्व महाहवे ॥
त्वया हि देव संग्रामे हतस्यापि ममानघ ॥
श्रेय एव परं कृष्ण लोके ऽमुष्मिन्न् इहैव च ॥
संभावितो ऽस्मि गोविन्द त्रैलोक्येनाद्य संयुगे ॥
vāsudevas tu saṃprekṣya pārthasya mṛduyuddhatām ||
bhīṣmaṃ ca śaravarṣāṇi sṛjantam aniśaṃ yudhi ||
pratapantam ivādityaṃ madhyam āsādya senayoḥ ||
varān varān vinighnantaṃ pāṇḍuputrasya sainikān ||
yugāntam iva kurvāṇaṃ bhīṣmaṃ yaudhiṣṭhire bale ||
nāmṛṣyata mahābāhur mādhavaḥ paravīrahā ||
utsṛjya rajataprakhyān hayān pārthasya māriṣa ||
kruddho nāma mahāyogī pracaskanda mahārathāt ||
abhidudrāva bhīṣmaṃ sa bhujapraharaṇo balī ||
pratodapāṇis tejasvī siṃhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
dārayann iva padbhyāṃ sa jagatīṃ jagatīśvaraḥ ||
krodhatāmrekṣaṇaḥ kṛṣṇo jighāṃsur amitadyutiḥ ||
grasann iva ca cetāṃsi tāvakānāṃ mahāhave ||
dṛṣṭvā mādhavam ākrande bhīṣmāyodyantam āhave ||
hato bhīṣmo hato bhīṣma iti tatra sma sainikāḥ ||
krośantaḥ prādravan sarve vāsudevabhayān narāḥ ||
pītakauśeyasaṃvīto maṇiśyāmo janārdanaḥ ||
śuśubhe vidravan bhīṣmaṃ vidyunmālī yathāmbudaḥ ||
sa siṃha iva mātaṅgaṃ yūtharṣabha ivarṣabham ||
abhidudrāva tejasvī vinadan yādavarṣabhaḥ ||
tam āpatantaṃ saṃprekṣya puṇḍarīkākṣam āhave ||
asaṃbhramaṃ raṇe bhīṣmo vicakarṣa mahad dhanuḥ ||
uvāca cainaṃ govindam asaṃbhrāntena cetasā ||
ehy ehi puṇḍarīkākṣa devadeva namo 'stu te ||
mām adya sātvataśreṣṭha pātayasva mahāhave ||
tvayā hi deva saṃgrāme hatasyāpi mamānagha ||
śreya eva paraṃ kṛṣṇa loke 'muṣminn ihaiva ca ||
saṃbhāvito 'smi govinda trailokyenādya saṃyuge ||
Vasudeva, seeing that Partha was fighting gently, while Bhishma, pouring forth ceaselessly in the fight showers of arrows, blazing like the sun risen between the two armies, was cutting down the finest warriors of the son of Pandu one after another, as though bringing about the end of an age in Yudhishthira's host — the mighty-armed Madhava, slayer of enemy heroes, could not bear it. Abandoning Partha's silvery horses, O worthy one, the great yogi, enraged, leapt down from the great chariot and rushed at Bhishma, mighty, with his arms alone as his weapon. Radiant, whip in hand, he roared again and again like a lion; the Lord of the world seemed to split the earth with his very steps. Krishna, his eyes red with fury, boundless in splendor and bent on killing, seemed in that great battle to devour the very minds of your warriors. Seeing Madhava rushing amid the war-cries toward Bhishma in the fight, all the soldiers, crying, 'Bhishma is slain! Bhishma is slain!', fled in terror of Vasudeva. Janardana, dark as sapphire and clad in yellow silk, shone as he charged at Bhishma, like a raincloud garlanded with lightning. The radiant bull of the Yadavas rushed forward with a roar, like a lion upon an elephant, like the lord of the herd upon a bull. Seeing the lotus-eyed one bearing down on him in battle, Bhishma, without confusion, drew his great bow and said to Govinda with an undismayed heart: 'Come, come, lotus-eyed one! Homage to you, god of gods. Strike me down today in this great battle, best of the Satvatas. For if I am slain by you in battle, O sinless lord, that will be the highest good for me, Krishna, both in this world and in the world beyond. Today, Govinda, in this battle, I am honored before all three worlds.'
6d2038075293 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:55:41 PM UTC
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This is one of the most charged scenes in the book: Krishna is ready to step past his own vow to protect his devotee and to stop Bhishma. Bhishma meets this wrath as a grace, for to be struck down by the Lord is, for him, the highest honor, not a defeat.