शक्तो ऽहं धनुषैकेन निहन्तुं सर्वपाण्डवान् ॥
यद्य् एषां न भवेद् गोप्ता विष्वक्सेनो महाबलः ॥
कारणद्वयम् आस्थाय नाहं योत्स्यामि पाण्डवैः ॥
अवध्यत्वाच् च पाण्डूनां स्त्रीभावाच् च शिखण्डिनः ॥
पित्रा तुष्टेन मे पूर्वं यदा कालीम् उदावहत् ॥
स्वच्छन्दमरणं दत्तम् अवध्यत्वं रणे तथा ॥
तस्मान् मृत्युम् अहं मन्ये प्राप्तकालम् इवात्मनः ॥
एवं ज्ञात्वा व्यवसितं भीष्मस्यामिततेजसः ॥
ऋषयो वसवश् चैव वियत्स्था भीष्मम् अब्रुवन् ॥
यत् ते व्यवसितं वीर अस्माकं सुमहत् प्रियम् ॥
तत् कुरुष्व महेष्वास युद्धाद् बुद्धिं निवर्तय ॥
तस्य वाक्यस्य निधने प्रादुरासीच् छिवो ऽनिलः ॥
अनुलोमः सुगन्धी च पृषतैश् च समन्वितः ॥
देवदुन्दुभयश् चैव संप्रणेदुर् महास्वनाः ॥
पपात पुष्पवृष्टिश् च भीष्मस्योपरि पार्थिव ॥
न च तच् छुश्रुवे कश् चित् तेषां संवदतां नृप ॥
ऋते भीष्मं महाबाहुं मां चापि मुनितेजसा ॥
संभ्रमश् च महान् आसीत् त्रिदशानां विशां पते ॥
पतिष्यति रथाद् भीष्मे सर्वलोकप्रिये तदा ॥
इति देवगणानां च श्रुत्वा वाक्यं महामनाः ॥
ततः शांतनवो भीष्मो बीभत्सुं नाभ्यवर्तत ॥
भिद्यमानः शितैर् बाणैः सर्वावरणभेदिभिः ॥
śakto 'haṃ dhanuṣaikena nihantuṃ sarvapāṇḍavān ||
yady eṣāṃ na bhaved goptā viṣvakseno mahābalaḥ ||
kāraṇadvayam āsthāya nāhaṃ yotsyāmi pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
avadhyatvāc ca pāṇḍūnāṃ strībhāvāc ca śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||
pitrā tuṣṭena me pūrvaṃ yadā kālīm udāvahat ||
svacchandamaraṇaṃ dattam avadhyatvaṃ raṇe tathā ||
tasmān mṛtyum ahaṃ manye prāptakālam ivātmanaḥ ||
evaṃ jñātvā vyavasitaṃ bhīṣmasyāmitatejasaḥ ||
ṛṣayo vasavaś caiva viyatsthā bhīṣmam abruvan ||
yat te vyavasitaṃ vīra asmākaṃ sumahat priyam ||
tat kuruṣva maheṣvāsa yuddhād buddhiṃ nivartaya ||
tasya vākyasya nidhane prādurāsīc chivo 'nilaḥ ||
anulomaḥ sugandhī ca pṛṣataiś ca samanvitaḥ ||
devadundubhayaś caiva saṃpraṇedur mahāsvanāḥ ||
papāta puṣpavṛṣṭiś ca bhīṣmasyopari pārthiva ||
na ca tac chuśruve kaś cit teṣāṃ saṃvadatāṃ nṛpa ||
ṛte bhīṣmaṃ mahābāhuṃ māṃ cāpi munitejasā ||
saṃbhramaś ca mahān āsīt tridaśānāṃ viśāṃ pate ||
patiṣyati rathād bhīṣme sarvalokapriye tadā ||
iti devagaṇānāṃ ca śrutvā vākyaṃ mahāmanāḥ ||
tataḥ śāṃtanavo bhīṣmo bībhatsuṃ nābhyavartata ||
bhidyamānaḥ śitair bāṇaiḥ sarvāvaraṇabhedibhiḥ ||
He thought: "I am able with a single bow to slay all the Pandavas, were it not for their mighty protector Vishvaksena. But for two reasons I will not fight the Pandavas: because they cannot be slain, and because Shikhandin has a woman's nature. When my father, once pleased with me, took Kali as his wife, he granted me the gift of death at my own will and invulnerability in battle. Therefore I consider that my time of death has now come." Learning of this resolve of Bhishma of boundless energy, the rishis and the Vasus standing in the sky said to him: "What you have decided, O hero, is very dear to us. Do this, great archer; turn your mind away from battle." As their speech came to a close, a gentle, favorable, fragrant wind blew, mingled with light drops of rain. The mighty divine kettledrums sounded with a great roar, and a shower of flowers fell upon Bhishma, O king. No one heard this exchange, O king, except mighty-armed Bhishma and myself - through a sage's power. Among the gods a great commotion arose: Bhishma, beloved of all the worlds, was about to fall from his chariot. Hearing the words of the hosts of gods, the great-souled Bhishma, son of Shantanu, no longer advanced against Bibhatsu, though he was pierced by sharp arrows that broke through every defense."
f992ce997136 · published Jul 17, 2026, 10:03:50 PM UTC
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Bhishma's fall becomes here a conscious spiritual decision. He acknowledges Krishna's protection over the Pandavas, recalls the gift of death at his own will, and accepts this moment as the appointed time rather than as an accidental defeat.