Shloka 25
Bhīṣma’s Stuti of Keśava and Counsel on Nara–Nārāyaṇa (भीष्म-स्तवः; नरनारायण-प्रसङ्गः)
ततः स तूर्ण रुधिरोदफेनां कृत्वा नदीमाशु रणे रिपूणाम् । जगाम सौभद्रमतीत्य भीष्मो महारथं पार्थमदीनसत्त्व:
tataḥ sa tūrṇaṃ rudhirodaphenāṃ kṛtvā nadīm āśu raṇe ripūṇām | jagāma saubhadram atītya bhīṣmo mahārathaṃ pārtham adīnasattvaḥ || sa pragṛhya mahāghoraṃ nistriṃśavaram āyasam | padātis tūrṇam ānarcched rathasthaṃ puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann machte Bhīṣma, schnell und unermüdeten Mutes, das feindliche Blut—das in der Schlacht schäumte—im Nu zu einem Strom und, an Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) vorüber, schritt er vor, um dem großen Wagenkämpfer Pārtha (Arjuna) entgegenzutreten. Einen höchst schrecklichen, vortrefflichen Eisenschwert ergreifend, stürmte jener Stier unter den Männern zu Fuß auf den Krieger zu, der auf einem Wagen stand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of steadfast courage and decisive action in war, while also underscoring the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: heroic duty is pursued amid terrifying, dehumanizing violence (the ‘river of blood’), inviting reflection on the cost of righteous conflict.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s rapid advance: he cuts through enemies so fiercely that the battlefield is likened to a foaming river of blood. He bypasses Abhimanyu and moves to engage Arjuna, taking up a dreadful iron sword and rushing toward a chariot-borne opponent.