सहदेवं तथा यान्तं कृपः शारद्वतो ऽभ्ययात् ॥
यथा नागो वने नागं मत्तो मत्तम् उपाद्रवत् ॥
कृपश् च समरे राजन् माद्रीपुत्रं महारथम् ॥
आजघान शरैस् तूर्णं सप्तत्या रुक्मभूषणैः ॥
तस्य माद्रीसुतश् चापं द्विधा चिच्छेद सायकैः ॥
अथैनं छिन्नधन्वानं विव्याध नवभिः शरैः ॥
सो ऽन्यत् कार्मुकम् आदाय समरे भारसाधनम् ॥
माद्रीपुत्रं सुसंहृष्टो दशभिर् निशितैः शरैः ॥
आजघानोरसि क्रुद्ध इच्छन् भीष्मस्य जीवितम् ॥
तथैव पाण्डवो राजञ् शारद्वतम् अमर्षणम् ॥
आजघानोरसि क्रुद्धो भीष्मस्य वधकाङ्क्षया ॥
तयोर् युद्धं समभवद् घोररूपं भयावहम् ॥
नकुलं तु रणे क्रुद्धं विकर्णः शत्रुतापनः ॥
विव्याध सायकैः षष्ट्या रक्षन् भीष्मस्य जीवितम् ॥
नकुलो ऽपि भृशं विद्धस् तव पुत्रेण धन्विना ॥
विकर्णं सप्तसप्तत्या निर्बिभेद शिलीमुखैः ॥
तत्र तौ नरशार्दूलौ भीष्महेतोः परंतपौ ॥
अन्योन्यं जघ्नतुर् वीरौ गोष्ठे गोवृषभाव् इव ॥
घटोत्कचं रणे यत्तं निघ्नन्तं तव वाहिनीम् ॥
दुर्मुखः समरे प्रायाद् भीष्महेतोः पराक्रमी ॥
हैडिम्बस् तु ततो राजन् दुर्मुखं शत्रुतापनम् ॥
आजघानोरसि क्रुद्धो नवत्या निशितैः शरैः ॥
भीमसेनसुतं चापि दुर्मुखः सुमुखैः शरैः ॥
षष्ट्या वीरो नदन् हृष्टो विव्याध रणमूर्धनि ॥
sahadevaṃ tathā yāntaṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvato 'bhyayāt ||
yathā nāgo vane nāgaṃ matto mattam upādravat ||
kṛpaś ca samare rājan mādrīputraṃ mahāratham ||
ājaghāna śarais tūrṇaṃ saptatyā rukmabhūṣaṇaiḥ ||
tasya mādrīsutaś cāpaṃ dvidhā ciccheda sāyakaiḥ ||
athainaṃ chinnadhanvānaṃ vivyādha navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
so 'nyat kārmukam ādāya samare bhārasādhanam ||
mādrīputraṃ susaṃhṛṣṭo daśabhir niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
ājaghānorasi kruddha icchan bhīṣmasya jīvitam ||
tathaiva pāṇḍavo rājañ śāradvatam amarṣaṇam ||
ājaghānorasi kruddho bhīṣmasya vadhakāṅkṣayā ||
tayor yuddhaṃ samabhavad ghorarūpaṃ bhayāvaham ||
nakulaṃ tu raṇe kruddhaṃ vikarṇaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ ||
vivyādha sāyakaiḥ ṣaṣṭyā rakṣan bhīṣmasya jīvitam ||
nakulo 'pi bhṛśaṃ viddhas tava putreṇa dhanvinā ||
vikarṇaṃ saptasaptatyā nirbibheda śilīmukhaiḥ ||
tatra tau naraśārdūlau bhīṣmahetoḥ paraṃtapau ||
anyonyaṃ jaghnatur vīrau goṣṭhe govṛṣabhāv iva ||
ghaṭotkacaṃ raṇe yattaṃ nighnantaṃ tava vāhinīm ||
durmukhaḥ samare prāyād bhīṣmahetoḥ parākramī ||
haiḍimbas tu tato rājan durmukhaṃ śatrutāpanam ||
ājaghānorasi kruddho navatyā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
bhīmasenasutaṃ cāpi durmukhaḥ sumukhaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
ṣaṣṭyā vīro nadan hṛṣṭo vivyādha raṇamūrdhani ||
Kripa Sharadvata advanced against Sahadeva, who likewise moved forward, as in a forest one rutting elephant charges another rutting elephant. Kripa, O king, swiftly struck the great chariot-warrior, the son of Madri, in battle with seventy gold-adorned arrows. The son of Madri cut Kripa's bow in two with his arrows, and then pierced him, his bow now severed, with nine arrows. Kripa took up another bow, fit for heavy battle, and, exultant, striving to preserve Bhishma's life, in fury struck the son of Madri with ten sharp arrows in the chest. Likewise the Pandava, striving to slay Bhishma, angrily struck the impatient son of Sharadvata in the chest. A fierce and terrible battle broke out between them. Vikarna, the tormentor of foes, defending Bhishma's life, pierced the enraged Nakula in battle with sixty arrows. Nakula, sorely wounded by your archer son, pierced Vikarna through with seventy-seven arrows. There these two tigers among men, these two scorchers of foes, struck each other for Bhishma's sake, like two bulls in a pen. The valiant Durmukha advanced in battle for Bhishma's sake against the intent Ghatotkacha, who was slaughtering your army. Then the son of Hidimba, in fury, struck Durmukha, the tormentor of foes, with ninety sharp arrows in the chest. And the hero Durmukha, roaring joyfully, pierced the son of Bhimasena with sixty beautiful arrows in the thick of the battle.
e02a17319bfa · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:55:41 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Each duel here rests on a single cause: the path to Bhishma must stay closed. So these personal fights become pieces of one shared defense of the grandsire.