Shloka 9
मत्वा तु निहतं रामस्ततो मां भरतर्षभ । मेघवद् विननादोच्चैर्जहषे च पुनः पुन:
matvā tu nihataṃ rāmas tato māṃ bharatarṣabha | meghavad vinanādoccair jahaṣe ca punaḥ punaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Doch als Rama (Parashurama) meinte, ich sei erschlagen, o Stier unter den Bharatas, brüllte er laut mit einer tiefen, gewitterwolkenartigen Stimme und brach immer wieder in jubelndes Lachen aus.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense rivalry and wounded honor can produce triumphal exultation even amid violence. It implicitly cautions that martial prowess and pride may eclipse discernment, a recurring ethical tension in the epic’s treatment of kshatriya conduct.
In Bhishma’s recollection of his duel with Parashurama, Parashurama momentarily believes Bhishma has been killed. Reacting to that belief, he thunders loudly like a rain-cloud and repeatedly laughs in exhilaration.