Shloka 12
Kṛṣṇa’s Dhyāna and the Prompt to Question Bhīṣma (कृष्णध्यानं भीष्मप्रश्नप्रेरणा च)
यस्य ज्यातलनिर्घोषं विस्फूर्जितमिवाशने: । न सेहे देवराजो5पि तमस्मि मनसा गत:,बिजलीकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान जिनके धनुषकी टंकारको देवराज इन्द्र भी नहीं सह सके थे, उन्हीं भीष्मके चिन्तनमें मेरा मन लगा हुआ है
yasya jyātalanirghoṣaṁ visphūrjitam ivāśaneḥ | na sehe devarājo 'pi tam asmi manasā gataḥ ||
Vāsudeva said: “My mind is absorbed in that Bhīṣma whose bowstring’s thunderous twang—like the crack of Indra’s lightning—could not be endured even by the king of the gods himself.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models reverent contemplation of a great elder and exemplar of dharma: true greatness is remembered not only for power but for the moral stature that makes such power worthy of honor.
Vāsudeva expresses that his mind is fixed on Bhīṣma, praising his awe-inspiring martial presence through the image of a bowstring’s thunder that even Indra could not bear—an elevated tribute within the reflective atmosphere of Śānti Parva.