Shloka 71
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
प्राद्रवन्ति रणे दृष्टवा हर्षयन्त: पितामहम् । सो5हं भीष्म निहन्म्यद्य पाण्डवार्थाय दंशित:
sañjaya uvāca | prādravanti raṇe dṛṣṭvā harṣayantaḥ pitāmaham | so ’haṃ bhīṣma nihany adya pāṇḍavārthāya daṃśitaḥ ||
রণে তাদের দেখে তারা ছুটে আসে এবং পিতামহ ভীষ্মকে আনন্দিত করে। অতএব পাণ্ডবদের কল্যাণার্থে, বর্মধারী ও দৃঢ়প্রতিজ্ঞ আমি আজ নিজেই ভীষ্মকে বধ করব।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of decisive action in war when one believes a higher cause is at stake: personal hesitation is set aside, and the speaker frames even the extreme act of killing a revered elder (Bhīṣma) as justified ‘for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas.’ It foregrounds the moral strain of dharma in conflict—duty and loyalty colliding with reverence.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment where warriors surge forward, their actions increasing Bhīṣma’s exhilaration. In response, a combatant declares a firm intention to kill Bhīṣma that very day, fully armoured and motivated by the Pāṇḍavas’ cause—signaling escalation against the Kaurava commander.