तत्राद्भुतम् अपश्याम तव पुत्रस्य पौरुषम् ॥
अयोधयत यत् पार्थं जुगोप च यतव्रतम् ॥
कर्मणा तेन समरे तव पुत्रस्य धन्विनः ॥
दुःशासनस्य तुतुषुः सर्वे लोका महात्मनः ॥
यद् एकः समरे पार्थान् सानुगान् समयोधयत् ॥
न चैनं पाण्डवा युद्धे वायराम् आसुर् उल्बणम् ॥
दुःशासनेन समरे रथिनो विरथीकृताः ॥
सादिनश् च महाराज दन्तिनश् च महाबलाः ॥
विनिर्भिन्नाः शरैस् तीक्ष्णैर् निपेतुर् धरणीतले ॥
शरातुरास् तथैवान्ये दन्तिनो विद्रुता दिशः ॥
यथाग्निर् इन्धनं प्राप्य ज्वलेद् दीप्तार्चिर् उल्बणः ॥
तथा जज्वाल पुत्रस् ते पाण्डवान् वै विनिर्दहन् ॥
तं भारतमहामात्रं पाण्डवानां महारथः ॥
जेतुं नोत्सहते कश् चिन् नाप्य् उद्यातुं कथं चन ॥
ऋते महेन्द्रतनयं श्वेताश्वं कृष्णसारथिम् ॥
स हि तं समरे राजन् विजित्य विजयो ऽर्जुनः ॥
भीष्मम् एवाभिदुद्राव सर्वसैन्यस्य पश्यतः ॥
विजितस् तव पुत्रो ऽपि भीष्मबाहुव्यपाश्रयः ॥
पुनः पुनः समाश्वस्य प्रायुध्यत रणोत्कटः ॥
अर्जुनं च रणे राजन् योधयन् स व्यराजत ॥
शिखण्डी तु रणे राजन् विव्याधैव पितामहम् ॥
शरैर् अशनिसंस्पर्शैस् तथा सर्पविषोपमैः ॥
न च ते ऽस्य रुजं चक्रुः पितुस् तव जनेश्वर ॥
स्मयमानश् च गाङ्गेयस् तान् बाणाञ् जगृहे तदा ॥
उष्णार्तो हि नरो यद्वज् जलधाराः प्रतीच्छति ॥
तथा जग्राह गाङ्गेयः शरधाराः शिखण्डिनः ॥
तं क्षत्रिया महाराज ददृशुर् घोरम् आहवे ॥
भीष्मं दहन्तं सैन्यानि पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम् ॥
tatrādbhutam apaśyāma tava putrasya pauruṣam ||
ayodhayata yat pārthaṃ jugopa ca yatavratam ||
karmaṇā tena samare tava putrasya dhanvinaḥ ||
duḥśāsanasya tutuṣuḥ sarve lokā mahātmanaḥ ||
yad ekaḥ samare pārthān sānugān samayodhayat ||
na cainaṃ pāṇḍavā yuddhe vāyarām āsur ulbaṇam ||
duḥśāsanena samare rathino virathīkṛtāḥ ||
sādinaś ca mahārāja dantinaś ca mahābalāḥ ||
vinirbhinnāḥ śarais tīkṣṇair nipetur dharaṇītale ||
śarāturās tathaivānye dantino vidrutā diśaḥ ||
yathāgnir indhanaṃ prāpya jvaled dīptārcir ulbaṇaḥ ||
tathā jajvāla putras te pāṇḍavān vai vinirdahan ||
taṃ bhāratamahāmātraṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathaḥ ||
jetuṃ notsahate kaś cin nāpy udyātuṃ kathaṃ cana ||
ṛte mahendratanayaṃ śvetāśvaṃ kṛṣṇasārathim ||
sa hi taṃ samare rājan vijitya vijayo 'rjunaḥ ||
bhīṣmam evābhidudrāva sarvasainyasya paśyataḥ ||
vijitas tava putro 'pi bhīṣmabāhuvyapāśrayaḥ ||
punaḥ punaḥ samāśvasya prāyudhyata raṇotkaṭaḥ ||
arjunaṃ ca raṇe rājan yodhayan sa vyarājata ||
śikhaṇḍī tu raṇe rājan vivyādhaiva pitāmaham ||
śarair aśanisaṃsparśais tathā sarpaviṣopamaiḥ ||
na ca te 'sya rujaṃ cakruḥ pitus tava janeśvara ||
smayamānaś ca gāṅgeyas tān bāṇāñ jagṛhe tadā ||
uṣṇārto hi naro yadvaj jaladhārāḥ pratīcchati ||
tathā jagrāha gāṅgeyaḥ śaradhārāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
taṃ kṣatriyā mahārāja dadṛśur ghoram āhave ||
bhīṣmaṃ dahantaṃ sainyāni pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām ||
There we witnessed a wonder - the manhood of your son: he fought with Partha and shielded Bhishma, who was steadfast in his vow. By this deed of the archer Duhshasana in battle, all who saw the warrior's valor were pleased. For he alone fought against the Parthas and their followers, and the Pandavas could not check him, terrible as he was, in the fight. Under Duhshasana's onslaught in battle, charioteers were stripped of their chariots, and horsemen and mighty elephants, O great king, fell to the ground, pierced by sharp arrows. Other elephants, tormented by arrows, scattered in every direction. As fire, finding fuel, blazes forth with a fierce bright flame, so your son burned, consuming the Pandavas. None of the Pandava maharathas dared to conquer this great lord of the Bharatas, nor even to come forth against him, except the son of Mahendra, white-horsed Arjuna with Krishna as his charioteer. Having conquered him in battle, O king, Vijaya Arjuna rushed straight at Bhishma before the eyes of the whole army. Yet even your defeated son, relying on the protection of Bhishma's arms, took heart again and again and fought on, fierce in battle; contending with Arjuna in the fray, he shone with splendor, O king. Shikhandin, meanwhile, kept piercing the grandsire in battle with arrows like the stroke of lightning and the venom of serpents. But they caused your ancestor no pain, O lord of men. Smiling, the son of Ganga received these arrows as a man tormented by heat welcomes streams of water. The kshatriyas, O great king, beheld in that battle the terrible Bhishma, burning the armies of the great-souled Pandavas.
490a32a301e0 · published Jul 17, 2026, 10:03:50 PM UTC
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Even Duhshasana is granted here his moment of genuine martial strength, but Arjuna overcomes him for the sake of the greater purpose. And Shikhandin's arrows, which outwardly cause Bhishma no pain, become a sign that his fall will be decided not by ordinary force of arms.