पश्य कृष्ण महात्मानं भीष्मं भीमपराक्रमम् ॥
गजं नलवनानीव विमृद्नन्तं बलं मम ॥
न चैवैनं महात्मानम् उत्सहामो निरीक्षितुम् ॥
लेलिह्यमानं सैन्येषु प्रवृद्धम् इव पावकम् ॥
यथा घोरो महानागस् तक्षको वै विषोल्बणः ॥
तथा भीष्मो रणे कृष्ण तीक्ष्णशस्त्रः प्रतापवान् ॥
गृहीतचापः समरे विमुञ्चंश् च शिताञ् शरान् ॥
शक्यो जेतुं यमः क्रुद्धो वज्रपाणिश् च देवराट् ॥
वरुणः पाशभृद् वापि सगदो वा धनेश्वरः ॥
न तु भीष्मः सुसंक्रुद्धः शक्यो जेतुं महाहवे ॥
सो ऽहम् एवं गते कृष्ण निमग्नः शोकसागरे ॥
आत्मनो बुद्धिदौर्बल्याद् भीष्मम् आसाद्य संयुगे ॥
वनं यास्यामि दुर्धर्ष श्रेयो मे तत्र वै गतम् ॥
न युद्धं रोचये कृष्ण हन्ति भीष्मो हि नः सदा ॥
यथा प्रज्वलितं वह्निं पतंगः समभिद्रवन् ॥
एकतो मृत्युम् अभ्येति तथाहं भीष्मम् ईयिवान् ॥
क्षयं नीतो ऽस्मि वार्ष्णेय राज्यहेतोः पराक्रमी ॥
भ्रातरश् चैव मे शूराः सायकैर् भृशपीडिताः ॥
मत्कृते भ्रातृसौहार्दाद् राज्यात् प्रभ्रंशनं गताः ॥
परिक्लिष्टा तथा कृष्णा मत्कृते मधुसूदन ॥
जीवितं बहु मन्ये ऽहं जीवितं ह्य् अद्य दुर्लभम् ॥
जीवितस्याद्य शेषेण चरिष्ये धर्मम् उत्तमम् ॥
यदि ते ऽहम् अनुग्राह्यो भ्रातृभिः सह केशव ॥
स्वधर्मस्याविरोधेन तद् उदाहर केशव ॥
paśya kṛṣṇa mahātmānaṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhīmaparākramam ||
gajaṃ nalavanānīva vimṛdnantaṃ balaṃ mama ||
na caivainaṃ mahātmānam utsahāmo nirīkṣitum ||
lelihyamānaṃ sainyeṣu pravṛddham iva pāvakam ||
yathā ghoro mahānāgas takṣako vai viṣolbaṇaḥ ||
tathā bhīṣmo raṇe kṛṣṇa tīkṣṇaśastraḥ pratāpavān ||
gṛhītacāpaḥ samare vimuñcaṃś ca śitāñ śarān ||
śakyo jetuṃ yamaḥ kruddho vajrapāṇiś ca devarāṭ ||
varuṇaḥ pāśabhṛd vāpi sagado vā dhaneśvaraḥ ||
na tu bhīṣmaḥ susaṃkruddhaḥ śakyo jetuṃ mahāhave ||
so 'ham evaṃ gate kṛṣṇa nimagnaḥ śokasāgare ||
ātmano buddhidaurbalyād bhīṣmam āsādya saṃyuge ||
vanaṃ yāsyāmi durdharṣa śreyo me tatra vai gatam ||
na yuddhaṃ rocaye kṛṣṇa hanti bhīṣmo hi naḥ sadā ||
yathā prajvalitaṃ vahniṃ pataṃgaḥ samabhidravan ||
ekato mṛtyum abhyeti tathāhaṃ bhīṣmam īyivān ||
kṣayaṃ nīto 'smi vārṣṇeya rājyahetoḥ parākramī ||
bhrātaraś caiva me śūrāḥ sāyakair bhṛśapīḍitāḥ ||
matkṛte bhrātṛsauhārdād rājyāt prabhraṃśanaṃ gatāḥ ||
parikliṣṭā tathā kṛṣṇā matkṛte madhusūdana ||
jīvitaṃ bahu manye 'haṃ jīvitaṃ hy adya durlabham ||
jīvitasyādya śeṣeṇa cariṣye dharmam uttamam ||
yadi te 'ham anugrāhyo bhrātṛbhiḥ saha keśava ||
svadharmasyāvirodhena tad udāhara keśava ||
'Look, Krishna, at the great-souled Bhishma of terrible prowess: he crushes my army as an elephant tramples a bed of reeds. We cannot even bear to look at this great one as he darts among the armies like a fire grown fierce. As the terrible great serpent Takshaka, full of furious venom, so is Bhishma in battle, Krishna: fearsome, and armed with sharp weapons. Yama in his wrath can be conquered; the king of gods with his thunderbolt can be overcome, or Varuna with his noose, or the lord of wealth with his mace -- but not the furious Bhishma in the great battle. And now I, Krishna, in this state, am sunk in an ocean of grief: through the weakness of my own judgment I met Bhishma in battle. I will go into the forest, unconquerable one; that is better for me. I take no pleasure in this war, Krishna, for Bhishma is forever destroying us. As a moth, rushing into a blazing fire, goes straight to its death, so I too, having drawn near to Bhishma, have been brought to ruin for the sake of the kingdom, O Varshneya. And my brave brothers are grievously afflicted by arrows; for my sake, out of brotherly love, they lost their kingdom. For my sake, too, Krishna-Draupadi has been tormented, O Madhusudana. I hold life to be a great blessing, for life today is rare; with what remains of my life I will practice the highest dharma. If I, together with my brothers, am worthy of your grace, Keshava, tell me what to do without violating my own dharma.'
cfbfc2b6ff03 · प्रकाशित 17 जुल॰ 2026, 9:55:41 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Yudhishthira speaks not as a coward but as a man torn apart from within by responsibility. He sees the cost of the kingdom in the sufferings of his brothers and Draupadi, and asks for a path that will not violate dharma.