Mahabharata, Book 6, Section XVभीष्मपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 6.15.

15Sanskrit adhyāya 6.15 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

सञ्जय उवाच।
त्वद्युक्तोऽयमनुप्रश्नो महाराज यथार्हसि।
न तु दुर्योधने दोषमिममासङ्क्तुमर्हसि ।।
य आत्मनो दुश्चरितादशुभं प्राप्नुयान्नरः।
एनसा तेन नान्यं स उपाशङ्कितुमर्हति।।
महाराज मनुष्येषु निन्द्यं यः सर्वमाचरेत्।
स वध्यः सर्वलोकस्य निन्दितानि समाचरन् ।।
निकारो निकृतिप्रज्ञैः पाण्डवैस्त्वत्प्रतीक्षया ।
अनुभूतः सहामात्यैः क्षान्तश्च सुचिरं वने ।।
हयानां च गजानां च राज्ञां चामिततेजसाम्।
प्रत्यक्षं यन्मया दृष्टं दृष्टं योगबलेन च ।।
शृणु तत्पृथिवीपाल मा च शोके मनः कृथाः ।
दिष्टमेतत्पुरा नूनमिदमेव नराधिप ।।
नमस्कृत्वा प्रवक्ष्यामि पाराशर्याय धीमते।
यस्य प्रसादाद्दिव्यं तत्प्राप्तं ज्ञानमनुत्तमम् ।।
दृष्टिश्चातीन्द्रिया राजन्दूराच्छ्रवणमेव च ।
परचित्तस्य विज्ञानमतीतानागतस्य च ।।
व्युत्थितोत्पत्तिविज्ञानमाकाशे च गतिः शुभा ।
अस्त्रैरसङ्गो युद्धेषु वरदानान्महात्मनः ।।
श्रृणु मे विस्तरेणेदं विचित्रं परमाद्भुतम् ।
भरतानामभूद्युद्धं यथा तद्रोमहर्षणम् ।।
तेष्वनीकेषु यत्तेषु व्यूढेषु च विधानतः ।
दुर्योधनो महाराज दुःशासनमथाब्रवीत् ।।
दुःशासन रथास्तूर्णं युज्यन्तां भीष्मरक्षिणः।
अनीकानि च सर्वाणि शीघ्रं त्वमनुचोदय ।।
अयं स मामभिप्राप्तो वर्षपूगाभिचिन्तितः ।
पाण्डवानां ससैन्यानां कुरूणां च समागमः ।।
नातः कार्यतमं मन्ये रणे भीष्मस्य रक्षणात्।
हन्युद्गुप्तो ह्यसौ पार्थान्सोमकांश्च ससृञ्जयान् ।।
अब्रवीच्च विशुद्धात्मा नाहं हन्यां शिखण्डिनाम् ।
श्रूयते स्त्री ह्यसौ पूर्वं तस्मादूर्त्यो रणे मम ।।
तस्माद्भीष्मो रक्षितव्यो विशेषेणेति मे मतिः।
शिखण्डिनो वधे यत्ताः सर्वे तिष्ठन्तु मामकाः ।।
तथा प्राच्याः प्रतीच्याश्च दाक्षिणात्योत्तरापथाः ।
सर्वथाऽस्त्रेषु कुशलास्ते रक्षन्तु पितामहम् ।।
अरक्ष्यमाणं हि वृको हन्यात्सिंहं महाबलम् ।
मा सिंहं जम्बुकेनेव घातयामः शिखण्डिना ।।
वामं चक्रं युधामन्युरुत्तमौजाश्च दक्षिणम्।
गोप्तारौ फाल्गुनं प्राप्तौ फाल्गुनोपि शिखण्डिनः ।
संरक्ष्यमाणः पार्थेन भीष्मेण च विवर्जितः ।
यथा न हन्याद्गाङ्गेयं दुःशासन तथा कुरु ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते भीष्मपर्वणि
भगवद्गीतापर्वणि पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः ।।

English Ganguli

Sanjaya said,—“Deserving as thou art, this question is, indeed, worthy of thee, O great king. It behoveth thee not, however, to impute this fault to Duryodhana. The man who incurreth evil as the consequence of his own misconduct, should not attribute that misconduct to others. O great king, the man that doth every kind of injury to other men, deserveth to be slain by all men in consequence of those censurable deeds of his. The Pandavas unacquainted with the ways of wickedness had, for a long time, with their friends and counsellors, looking up to thy face, borne the injuries (done to them) and forgiven them, dwelling in the woods.

“Of steeds and elephants and kings of immeasurable energy that which hath been seen by the aid of Yoga-power, hear, O lord of earth, and do not set thy heart on sorrow. All this was pre-destined, O king. Having bowed down to thy father, that (wise and high-souled88) son of Parasara, through whose grace, (through whose boon bestowed on me,) I have obtained excellent and celestial apprehension, sight beyond the range of the visual sense, and hearing, O king, from great distance, knowledge of other people’s hearts and also of the past and the future, a knowledge also of the origin of all persons transgressing the ordinances,89 the delightful power of coursing through the skies, and untouchableness by weapons in battles, listen to me in detail as I recite the romantic and highly wonderful battle that happened between the Bharatas, a battle that makes one’s hair stand on end.

“When the combatants were arrayed according to rule and when they were addrest for battle, Duryodhana, O king, said these words to Dussasana,—‘O Dussasana, let cars be speedily directed for the protection of Bhishma, and do thou speedily urge all our divisions (to advance). That hath now come to me of which I had been thinking for a series of years, viz., the meeting of the Pandavas and the Kurus at the head of their respective troops. I do not think that there is any act more important (for us) in this battle than the protecting of Bhishma. If protected he will slay the Pandavas, the Somakas, and the Srinjayas. That warrior of pure soul said,—“I will not slay Sikhandin. It is heard that he was a female before. For this reason he should be renounced by me in battle.” For this, Bhishma should be particularly protected. Let all my warriors take up their positions, resolved to slay Sikhandin. Let also all the troops from the east, the west, the south, and the north, accomplished in every kind of weapon, protect the grandsire. Even the lion of mighty strength, if left unprotected may be slain by the wolf. Let us not, therefore, cause Bhishma to be slain by Sikhandin like the lion slain by the jackal. Yudhamanyu protects the left wheel, and Uttamauja protects the right wheel of Phalguni. Protected by those two, Phalguni himself protects Sikhandin. O Dussasana, act in such a way that Sikhandin who is protected by Phalguni and whom Bhishma will renounce, may not slay Ganga’s son.’"