त्वया च नैनां सफलां करोषि देवव्रतं यन्न निहंसि युद्धे। मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञो भव मात्र वीर रक्षस्व धर्मं स्वकुलं यशश्च
And you do not make your vow fruitful, Devavrata, since you do not slay him in battle; do not become one whose promise is false, O hero—protect your dharma, your lineage, and your honor.
प्रेक्षस्व भीष्मं युधि भीमवेगं सर्वांस्तपन्तं मम सैन्यसङ्घान्। शरौघजालैरतितिग्मवेगैः कालं यथा कालकृतं क्षणेन
See Bhishma in battle, with the force of Bhima, scorching all my troops with torrents of arrows, swift and sharp as death itself, as if Time, the ender, had come in an instant.
निकृत्तचापः समरेऽनपेक्षः पराजितः शान्तनवेन चाजौ । विहाय बन्धूनथ सदरांश्च क्व यास्यसे नानुरूपं तवेदम्
With your bow cut down, heedless in battle, defeated by Shantanu’s son in combat, abandoning your kin and even your wife—where will you go? This does not befit you.
दृष्ट्वा हि भीष्मं तमनन्तवीर्यं भग्नं च सैन्यं द्रवमाणमेवम् । भीतोऽसि नूनं द्रुपदस्य पुत्र तथा हि ते मुखवर्णोऽप्रहृष्टः
Seeing Bhishma, of endless might, and the army broken and fleeing thus, you are surely afraid, son of Drupada, for your face shows no joy.
अज्ञायमाने च धनंजये तु महाहावे संप्रसक्ते नृवीरे। कथं हि भीष्मात्प्रथितः पृथिव्यां भयं त्वमद्य प्रकरोषि वीर
When Dhananjaya is not recognized in this great and fierce battle among heroes, how is it that you, famed on earth as greater than Bhishma, now cause fear, O hero?
स धर्मराजस्य वचो निशम्य रूक्षाक्षरं विप्रलापानुबद्धम् । प्रत्यादेशं मन्यमानो महात्मा प्रतत्वरे भीष्मवधाय राजन्
Hearing these harsh and reproachful words of the king of dharma, the great-souled one, taking them as a command, hastened, O king, to slay Bhishma.
तमापतन्तं महता जवेन शिखण्डिनं भीष्ममभिद्रवन्तम्। निवारयामास हि शल्य एन- मस्त्रेण घोरेण सुदुर्जयेन
As Shikhandi rushed at Bhishma with great speed, Bhishma blocked him—Shalya stopped him with a terrible, nearly invincible weapon.
शरैस्तदस्त्रं प्रतिबाधमानः
But Shikhandi countered that weapon with arrows.
अथाददे वारुणमन्यदस्त्रं शिखण्ड्यथोऽग्रं प्रतिघातमस्य। तदस्त्रमस्त्रेण विदार्यमाणं खस्थाः सुरा ददृशुः पार्थिवाश्च
Then Shikhandi took up another Varuna weapon to break through the front; as that weapon was torn apart by another, the gods in the sky and the kings beheld it.
भीष्मस्तु राजन्समरे महात्मा धनुश्च चित्रं ध्वजमेव चापि। छित्त्वाऽनदत्पाण्डुसुतस्य वीरो युधिष्ठिरस्याजमीढस्य राज्ञः
But Bhishma, O king, the great-souled hero, cut down the bow and the splendid banner of Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, the king, and roared in battle.
ततः समुत्सृज्य धनुः सबाणं युधिष्ठिरं वीक्ष्य भयाभिभूतम्। गदां प्रगृह्याभिपपात सङ्ख्ये जयद्रथं भीमसेनः पदातिः
Then, casting aside his bow and arrows, seeing Yudhishthira overwhelmed by fear, Bhimasena, on foot, seized his mace and rushed at Jayadratha in the battle.
तमापतन्तं सहसा जवेन जयद्रथः सगदं भीमसेनम्। विव्याध घोरैर्यमदण्डकल्पैः शितैः शरैः पञ्चशरैः समन्तात्
As Bhimasena charged suddenly and swiftly with his mace, Jayadratha struck him from all sides with five sharp arrows, dreadful as the rod of Yama.
अचिन्तयित्वा स शरांस्तरस्वी वृकोदरः क्रोधपरीतचेताः । जघान वाहान्समरे समन्तात् सुसंमतान्सिन्धुराजस्य सङ्ख्ये
Unheeding those arrows, the swift Vrikodara, his mind seized by anger, struck down all the well-trained horses of the Sindhu king in battle.
ततोऽभिवीक्ष्याप्रतिमप्रभाव- स्तवात्मजस्त्वरमाणो रथेन अभ्यायौ भीमसेनं निहन्तुं समुद्यतास्त्रः सुरराजकल्पः
Then, seeing your son, of incomparable power, hastening in his chariot, ready with weapons like a lord of the gods, he advanced to slay Bhimasena.
जयद्रथो भग्रवाहं रथं त त्यक्त्वा ययौ यत्र राजा कुरूणाम् । भयेन भीमस्य समूढचेताः ससौबलस्तत्र युद्धस्य भीतः
Jayadratha, abandoning his chariot with its broken horses, went to where the king of the Kurus was, his mind confused by fear of Bhima, together with Saubala, both afraid of the battle.
भीमोऽप्यथैनं सहसा विनद्य प्रत्युद्ययौ गदया तर्जयानः। समुद्यतां तां यमदण्डकल्पां दृष्ट्वा गदां ते कुरवः समन्तात्
Then Bhima, roaring suddenly, rushed at him, brandishing his mace; seeing that mace, raised and like the rod of Yama, the Kauravas all around—
पातं गदायाः परिहर्तुकामाः। अपक्रान्तास्तुमुले संप्रमर्दे सुदूरुणे भारत मोहनीये
Desiring to avoid the fall of the mace, they fled from the root of the tree in that terrible, bewildering, and crushing conflict, O Bharata.
ज्जगामान्यं भ्रमप भूमिदेशम्
He went, wandering, to another place on the field.
गदापि सा प्राप्य रथं सुचित्रं साश्व ससूतं विनिहत्य सङ्ख्ये। जगाम भूमिं ज्वलिता महोल्क भ्रष्टाऽम्बराद्गामिव संपतन्ती
That mace, having struck the splendid chariot with its horses and charioteer, and destroyed it in battle, fell to the earth blazing like a great meteor, as if descending from the sky.
आश्चर्यभूतं सुमहत्त्वदीया दृष्ट्वैव तद्भारत संप्रहृष्टाः। सर्वे विनेदुः सहिताः समन्ता- त्पुपूजिरे तव पुत्रस्य शौर्यम्
Beholding that wondrous and immense feat of yours, O Bhārata, all those present were delighted; together they shouted in joy and honored the valor of your son.
विरथं तं समासाद्य चित्रसेनं यशस्विनम् । रथमारोपयामास विकर्णस्तनयस्तव
Then Vikarna, your son, seeing the illustrious Citraseṇa deprived of his chariot, swiftly mounted him onto his own.
तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तमाने तुमुले संकुले भृशम्। भीष्मः शान्तनवस्तूर्णं युधिष्ठिरमुपाद्रवत्
While this tumultuous and fierce battle was thus unfolding, Bhishma, son of Shantanu, quickly advanced toward Yudhishthira.
ततः सरथनागाश्वाः समकम्पन्त सृञ्जयाः । मृत्योरास्यमनुप्राप्तं मेनिरे च युधिष्ठिरम्
Thereupon, the Sṛñjayas with their chariots, elephants, and horses trembled, and they thought Yudhishthira had entered the very jaws of death.
युधिष्ठिरोऽपि कौरव्यो यमाभ्यां सहितः प्रभुः । महेष्वासं नरव्याघ्रं भीष्मं शान्तनवं ययौ
Yet Yudhishthira, the Kaurava lord, accompanied by the twins, advanced toward Bhishma, son of Shantanu, that great archer and tiger among men.
ततः शरसहस्राणि प्रमुञ्चन्पाण्डवो युधि । भीष्मं संछादयामास यथा मेघो दिवाकरम्
Then the son of Pandu, releasing thousands of arrows in battle, covered Bhishma as a cloud covers the sun.
तेन सम्यक्प्रणीतानि शरजालानि मारिष । प्रतिजग्राह गाङ्गयः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः
O Māriṣa, the son of Ganga received those well-aimed showers of arrows, hundreds and thousands, and withstood them.
तथैव शरजालानि भीष्मोणास्तानि मारिष । आकाशे समदृश्यन्त स्वगमानां व्रजा इव
In the same way, Bhishma's showers of arrows were seen in the sky, O Māriṣa, like flocks of birds returning to their nests.
निमेषार्धेन कौन्तेयं भीष्मः शान्तनवो युधि । अदृश्यं समरे चक्रे शरजालेन भारत
In half a moment, Bhishma, son of Shantanu, rendered the son of Kunti invisible on the battlefield with a dense shower of arrows, O Bhārata.
ततो युधिष्ठिरे राजा कौरव्यस्य महात्मनः । नाराचं प्रेषयामास क्रुद्ध आशीविषोपमम्
Then the king, Yudhishthira, enraged, dispatched a razor-sharp arrow, resembling a venomous serpent, at the great-souled Kaurava.
असंप्राप्तं ततस्तं तु क्षुरप्रेण महारथः । चच्छेद समरे राजन्भीष्मस्तस्य धनुश्च्युतम्
But before it could reach him, Bhishma, the great chariot-warrior, cut it down in battle with a razor-headed arrow, O king, and it fell from Yudhishthira's bow.