हेमन्तान्ते ऽशोक इव रक्तस्तबकमण्डितः ॥
बभौ रामस् तदा राजन् क्व चित् किंशुकसंनिभः ॥
ततो ऽन्यद् धनुर् आदाय रामः क्रोधसमन्वितः ॥
हेमपुङ्खान् सुनिशिताञ् शरांस् तान् हि ववर्ष सः ॥
ते समासाद्य मां रौद्रा बहुधा मर्मभेदिनः ॥
अकम्पयन् महावेगाः सर्पानलविषोपमाः ॥
ततो ऽहं समवष्टभ्य पुनर् आत्मानम् आहवे ॥
शतसंख्यैः शरैः क्रुद्धस् तदा रामम् अवाकिरम् ॥
स तैर् अग्न्यर्कसंकाशैः शरैर् आशीविषोपमैः ॥
शितैर् अभ्यर्दितो रामो मन्दचेता इवाभवत् ॥
hemantānte 'śoka iva raktastabakamaṇḍitaḥ ||
babhau rāmas tadā rājan kva cit kiṃśukasaṃnibhaḥ ||
tato 'nyad dhanur ādāya rāmaḥ krodhasamanvitaḥ ||
hemapuṅkhān suniśitāñ śarāṃs tān hi vavarṣa saḥ ||
te samāsādya māṃ raudrā bahudhā marmabhedinaḥ ||
akampayan mahāvegāḥ sarpānalaviṣopamāḥ ||
tato 'haṃ samavaṣṭabhya punar ātmānam āhave ||
śatasaṃkhyaiḥ śaraiḥ kruddhas tadā rāmam avākiram ||
sa tair agnyarkasaṃkāśaiḥ śarair āśīviṣopamaiḥ ||
śitair abhyardito rāmo mandacetā ivābhavat ||
At the end of winter, like an ashoka tree adorned with red clusters, Rama shone then, O king, in places resembling the kimshuka tree. Then Rama, overcome with anger, took up another bow and showered me with very sharp, gold-feathered arrows. Those terrible arrows, reaching me, piercing my vital points, swift and resembling serpents, fire, and poison, made me tremble. Then I steadied myself again in battle and, enraged, showered Rama with hundreds of arrows. Struck by those sharp arrows, shining like fire and sun and resembling venomous serpents, Rama seemed to lose clarity of mind.
111f24dcd0fa · publicado 17 jul 2026, 6:36:32 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
This chapter shows that even a duel righteous in form remains spiritually perilous when weapons are raised against a teacher and a brahmin. Bhishma strives to observe dharma: he does not wish to strike an opponent on foot while mounted on his chariot, so he descends before Rama, bows to him, and asks for his blessing. Yet the situation itself is already tragic: Rama, a brahmin by nature, takes on the role of a warrior, and Bhishma is forced to distinguish in him the revered brahmin from the martial act he fights against. When Rama is drenched in blood, compassion and shame for the warrior's deed awaken in Bhishma. Thus the verse reveals the limit of outward righteousness: dharma demands action, but the heart must not rejoice in violence even when the fight seems unavoidable.