Shloka 59
ग्रसन्तमिव चेतांसि तावकानां महाहवे । दृष्टवा माधवमाक्रन्दे भीष्मायोद्यतमन्तिके,भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उस महायुद्धमें आपके पुत्रों और सैनिकोंकी चेतनाको मानो अपना ग्रास बनाये ले रहे थे। महाराज! उस मार-काटमें माधवको समीप आकर भीष्मके वधके लिये उद्यत हुआ देख उस समय उन वासुदेवके भयसे चारों ओर यह महान् कोलाहल सुनायी देने लगा कि “भीष्म मारे गये, भीष्म मारे गये”
sañjaya uvāca | grasann iva cetāṃsi tāvakānāṃ mahāhave | dṛṣṭvā mādhavam ākrande bhīṣmāya udyatam antike |
Sañjaya said: In that great battle, Mādhava seemed, as it were, to swallow the very consciousness of your men. And when they saw Mādhava, amid the tumult, come close and rise with intent to slay Bhīṣma, a great uproar spread on all sides out of fear of Vāsudeva—“Bhīṣma has been slain! Bhīṣma has been slain!”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the presence and resolve of a divinely guided leader can overwhelm an opposing force psychologically: fear, rumor, and collapsing morale can decide outcomes as much as weapons. Ethically, it also points to the tension between vows and dharma in war—Bhīṣma’s near-invincibility and Kṛṣṇa’s readiness to intervene underscore that protecting righteousness may demand extraordinary resolve.
Sañjaya reports that during the fierce fighting, Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava/Vāsudeva) moved close, appearing ready to strike down Bhīṣma. Seeing this, the Kaurava side panicked; a loud commotion spread with people crying that Bhīṣma had been killed, even before it had actually happened.