Shloka 79
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
स्तूयमानो जयाशीर्भिनिष्क्रम्य गजसाह्वयात् । कुरुक्षेत्र रणक्षेत्रमुपायां भरतर्षभ
stūyamāno jayāśīrbhir niṣkramya gajasāhvayāt | kurukṣetra-raṇakṣetram upāyāṁ bharatarṣabha ||
Bhishma said: “While I was being praised and sent forth with blessings that foretold victory, I departed from Gajasāhvaya (Hastināpura) and proceeded to Kurukṣetra, the field of battle. O bull among the Bharatas, thus I went to the war-ground.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemn transition from courtly life to the battlefield: public praise and victory-blessings accompany a warrior’s departure, yet the ethical weight of entering a dharma-conflicted war remains implicit—honor and auspicious words do not erase the gravity of violence and duty.
Bhishma narrates that, amid eulogies and benedictions for victory, he left Hastināpura (called Gajasāhvaya) and went to Kurukṣetra, explicitly marking his setting out for the great war.