Shloka 6
Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
ततः सूते हते तस्मिन् क्षिपतस्तस्य मे शरान् | प्रमत्तमनसो राम: प्राहिणोन्मृत्युसम्मितम्
tataḥ sūte hate tasmin kṣipatastasya me śarān | pramattamanaso rāmaḥ prāhiṇon mṛtyusammitam ||
Bhishma sprach: „Als jener Wagenlenker erschlagen war und dennoch weiter Pfeile auf mich schleuderte, zerschnitt ich—den Geist für einen Augenblick unbewacht—die Geschosse Parashuramas. Da löste Rama (Parashurama) gegen mich einen Pfeil, so schrecklich wie der Tod selbst.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a brief lapse in vigilance during righteous duty (especially in battle) can invite grave danger; the verse highlights the ethical weight of attentiveness and self-mastery amid conflict.
In the Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma combat episode, after the charioteer is killed, Paraśurāma continues to shoot at Bhīṣma; Bhīṣma, momentarily inattentive though cutting down the incoming arrows, faces a death-like missile launched by Paraśurāma.