भीष्म उवाच
सत्यम् एतन् महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डव ॥
नाहं शक्यो रणे जेतुं सेन्द्रैर् अपि सुरासुरैः ॥
आत्तशस्त्रो रणे यत्तो गृहीतवरकार्मुकः ॥
न्यस्तशस्त्रं तु मां राजन् हन्युर् युधि महारथाः ॥
निक्षिप्तशस्त्रे पतिते विमुक्तकवचध्वजे ॥
द्रवमाणे च भीते च तवास्मीति च वादिनि ॥
स्त्रियां स्त्रीनामधेये च विकले चैकपुत्रके ॥
अप्रसूते च दुष्प्रेक्ष्ये न युद्धं रोचते मम ॥
इमं च शृणु मे पार्थ संकल्पं पूर्वचिन्तितम् ॥
अमङ्गल्यध्वजं दृष्ट्वा न युध्येयं कथं चन ॥
य एष द्रौपदो राजंस् तव सैन्ये महारथः ॥
शिखण्डी समराकाङ्क्षी शूरश् च समितिंजयः ॥
यथाभवच् च स्त्री पूर्वं पश्चात् पुंस्त्वम् उपागतः ॥
जानन्ति च भवन्तो ऽपि सर्वम् एतद् यथातथम् ॥
अर्जुनः समरे शूरः पुरस्कृत्य शिखण्डिनम् ॥
माम् एव विशिखैस् तूर्णम् अभिद्रवतु दंशितः ॥
अमङ्गल्यध्वजे तस्मिन् स्त्रीपूर्वे च विशेषतः ॥
न प्रहर्तुम् अभीप्सामि गृहीतेषुं कथं चन ॥
तद् अन्तरं समासाद्य पाण्डवो मां धनंजयः ॥
शरैर् घातयतु क्षिप्रं समन्ताद् भरतर्षभ ॥
न तं पश्यामि लोकेषु यो मां हन्यात् समुद्यतम् ॥
ऋते कृष्णान् महाभागात् पाण्डवाद् वा धनंजयात् ॥
एष तस्मात् पुरोधाय कं चिद् अन्यं ममाग्रतः ॥
मां पातयतु बीभत्सुर् एवं ते विजयो भवेत् ॥
एतत् कुरुष्व कौन्तेय यथोक्तं वचनं मम ॥
ततो जेष्यसि संग्रामे धार्तराष्ट्रान् समागतान् ॥
bhīṣma uvāca
satyam etan mahābāho yathā vadasi pāṇḍava ||
nāhaṃ śakyo raṇe jetuṃ sendrair api surāsuraiḥ ||
āttaśastro raṇe yatto gṛhītavarakārmukaḥ ||
nyastaśastraṃ tu māṃ rājan hanyur yudhi mahārathāḥ ||
nikṣiptaśastre patite vimuktakavacadhvaje ||
dravamāṇe ca bhīte ca tavāsmīti ca vādini ||
striyāṃ strīnāmadheye ca vikale caikaputrake ||
aprasūte ca duṣprekṣye na yuddhaṃ rocate mama ||
imaṃ ca śṛṇu me pārtha saṃkalpaṃ pūrvacintitam ||
amaṅgalyadhvajaṃ dṛṣṭvā na yudhyeyaṃ kathaṃ cana ||
ya eṣa draupado rājaṃs tava sainye mahārathaḥ ||
śikhaṇḍī samarākāṅkṣī śūraś ca samitiṃjayaḥ ||
yathābhavac ca strī pūrvaṃ paścāt puṃstvam upāgataḥ ||
jānanti ca bhavanto 'pi sarvam etad yathātatham ||
arjunaḥ samare śūraḥ puraskṛtya śikhaṇḍinam ||
mām eva viśikhais tūrṇam abhidravatu daṃśitaḥ ||
amaṅgalyadhvaje tasmin strīpūrve ca viśeṣataḥ ||
na prahartum abhīpsāmi gṛhīteṣuṃ kathaṃ cana ||
tad antaraṃ samāsādya pāṇḍavo māṃ dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
śarair ghātayatu kṣipraṃ samantād bharatarṣabha ||
na taṃ paśyāmi lokeṣu yo māṃ hanyāt samudyatam ||
ṛte kṛṣṇān mahābhāgāt pāṇḍavād vā dhanaṃjayāt ||
eṣa tasmāt purodhāya kaṃ cid anyaṃ mamāgrataḥ ||
māṃ pātayatu bībhatsur evaṃ te vijayo bhavet ||
etat kuruṣva kaunteya yathoktaṃ vacanaṃ mama ||
tato jeṣyasi saṃgrāme dhārtarāṣṭrān samāgatān ||
Bhishma said: "This is true, mighty-armed Pandava, as you say: I cannot be conquered in battle even by the gods and asuras led by Indra, so long as I am armed, alert, and hold an excellent bow in my hand. But if I lay down my weapon, O king, the great chariot-warriors could kill me in battle. I do not wish to fight one who has cast down his weapon, who has fallen, who has removed armor and banner, who flees or is afraid, or who says, 'I am yours.' I do not wish to do battle with a woman, with one who bears a woman's name, with a cripple, with an only son, with one who is childless, or with one hard to look upon. Hear also, Partha, my longstanding resolve: having seen an inauspicious sign, I will by no means fight. Here is this son of Drupada, O king, a great chariot-warrior in your army, Shikhandin, who longs for battle, a brave conqueror of encounters: you all know the whole truth, that he was formerly a woman and afterward attained manhood. Let brave Arjuna, armed and clad in armor, place Shikhandin before him and swiftly attack me with arrows. At this ill omen, especially before one who was formerly a woman, I have no wish whatsoever to strike, even with an arrow in hand. Seizing this opportunity, let the Pandava Dhananjaya swiftly slay me with arrows from every side, O bull of the Bharatas. In all the worlds I see no one who could kill me when I am ready for battle, except the great Krishna or the Pandava Dhananjaya. Therefore let Bibhatsu place someone such as this before him and strike me down; thus will your victory come. Do this, son of Kunti, as I have said. Then you will win in battle over the assembled sons of Dhritarashtra."
a0819587e193 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:55:41 PM UTC
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Bhishma reveals not a weakness in the ordinary sense, but the boundary of his own vow. No outer force can defeat him while he acts as a warrior; victory comes only through his own fidelity to dharma and to his word.