Shloka 29
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
हनिष्यामि रणे भीष्ममाहूय पुरुषर्षभम् । पश्यतां धार्तराष्ट्राणां यदि नेच्छति फाल्गुन:
haniṣyāmi raṇe bhīṣmam āhūya puruṣarṣabham | paśyatāṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ yadi necchati phālgunaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “If Phālguna (Arjuna) does not wish to do it, then I shall challenge Bhīṣma—the bull among men—on the battlefield and slay him before the very eyes of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between reverence for an elder and the perceived necessity of fulfilling martial duty. It frames decisive action and personal accountability in war as a form of kṣatriya resolve, even when the opponent is a highly honored figure like Bhīṣma.
Sañjaya reports a vow-like declaration: if Arjuna hesitates to strike Bhīṣma, the speaker will personally challenge Bhīṣma in open combat and kill him in full view of the Kauravas (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons), emphasizing a dramatic, public assertion of courage.