Shloka 28
भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्
Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra
ततः स विह्लं वाक््यं राम उत्थाय चाब्रवीत् | तिष्ठ भीष्म हतो$सीति बाणं संधाय कार्मुके
tataḥ sa vihvalaṃ vākyaṃ rāma utthāya cābravīt | tiṣṭha bhīṣma hato'sīti bāṇaṃ sandhāya kārmuke ||
Then Rāma (Paraśurāma), still shaken and unsteady, rose and spoke in a faltering voice. Fixing an arrow upon his bow, he declared, “Stand firm, Bhīṣma—now you are slain!”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between righteous restraint and the surge of anger in conflict. Even a venerable figure can be driven by wounded pride to pronounce lethal intent; dharma in war demands self-mastery, not merely martial power.
During the Bhīṣma–Paraśurāma confrontation, Paraśurāma rises in agitation, sets an arrow on his bow, and declares that Bhīṣma is as good as slain—an escalation signaling imminent combat.