Character

Bhishma

भीष्मBhīṣma

verses
2,609
books
18
chapters
892

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Bhishma, first named Devavrata, is the son of King Shantanu and Ganga, born through the potency of a Vasu. Mahabharata 1.57.76Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.96.47 Bhishma gave up the kingdom and vowed lifelong celibacy, so that a fisherman king's daughter could be given to his father. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.101.97 In the same epic, Bhishma becomes commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. Mahabharata 14.59.8 Struck by the arrows of Arjuna, he lies upon a bed of shafts. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.1.185 Afterwards, Yudhishthira, the Kuru king, regains his composure on hearing Bhishma's determinations of dharma. Mahabharata 1.2.201

Where to read

Every verse that names Bhishma, book by book.

  1. Mahabharata

    2,253 verses · 753 chapters

    All 2,253 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 13,489 verses

    • 6.114.28

      Arjun gusse mein us shakti ko paanch tukdon mein kaat deta hai. Paanch teeron se kaata. Bhishma ne apni baahon ki taakat se maara tha woh shakti.

    • 1.94.67

      Phir Devavrata kuch bade logon ke saath Dashraj ke paas gaya. Apne pitaji ke liye khud jaakar us ladki ka haath maanga.

    • 6.115.30

      Phir Bhishma ne Pandavon aur Kauravon ko saamne khada dekhkar unko pranam kiya. Woh sabse bade the, isliye sab unka izzat karte the. Phir unhone sabko bola.

  2. Padma Purana

    127 verses · 52 chapters

    All 127 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 1.15.1

      Bheeshma ne poocha. Brahman, Brahma ne kya kiya jab kisi ko Banaras bheja? Aur Janardan ne kya kaam kiya? Shankar ne kya kiya, hey muni?

    • 1.2.47

      Pehle Brahma ne Pulastya ko bataya tha. Phir Pulastya ne Bheeshma ko yeh baat samjhayi. Yeh Gangaji ke paas hua tha.

    • 6.80.3

      Devavrata bahut gyani the. Woh dhyan mein hi rehte the. Woh sab granthon ko jaante the. Apni indriyon ko control mein rakhte the aur unka dil saaf tha.

  3. Skanda Purana

    66 verses · 23 chapters

    All 66 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 6.1.57.1

      Suta ne kaha ki us kshetra mein Surya Dev ki murti sthapit hui. Bhishma ne khud yeh kaam kiya. Bade-bade brahmin logon ne bhi maana. Bhishma ne poore dil se yeh kiya tha.

    • 6.1.226.16

      Gyaan se milti hai moksh, yeh sach hai jo maine kaha. Raja, yeh baat tum Bheeshm se sunoge, jo Shantanu ke beta hain.

    • 6.1.72.5

      Tab Nagapur se sab Kaurav nikle. Bhishma, Drona, sab gaye. Jaldi-jaldi Dwaravati ki taraf chale gaye.

  4. Devi Bhagavatam

    57 verses · 13 chapters

    All 57 verses in the Devi Bhagavatam
    • 1.20.15

      Shantanu ka pehla beta Gangeya tha, jise Bhishma bhi kehte hain. Woh bahut bada yoddha tha aur usmein taakat thi. Satyavati ke do aur bete paida hue, dono mein bahut power thi.

    • 6.24.22

      Shantanu swarg chale gaye. Meri maa vidhwa ho gayi. Woh apne dono beton ke saath thi. Bhishma ne unki hifazat ki.

    • 2.5.5

      Chaaron saal raja apne bete ke saath khub khush rehte the. Dono saath mein time pass karte the. Jaise Shiv ji apne bete Kumar ke saath khush rehte hain, waise hi raja apne bete ke saath the.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Bhishma matters most.

  1. Bhīṣma’s Fall to the Arrow-Bed

    Mahabharata 6.114 · 44 verses

    Central tragic hero and ethical pivot

  2. Śāṃtanu’s Ideal Rule; Devavrata’s Return; The Satyavatī Marriage Condition and Bhīṣma’s Vow (आदि पर्व, अध्याय ९४)

    Mahabharata 1.94 · 11 verses

    Heir who converts a political problem into a moral absolute…

  3. Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard

    Mahabharata 6.115 · 23 verses

    Fallen commander transformed into a living axis of dharma

  4. Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation

    Mahabharata 6.116 · 15 verses

    शरशय्यास्थः धर्म-राजनीति-उपदेशकः

  5. Janaka-Sulabhā Dialogue on Mokṣa and Non-attachment

    Mahabharata 12.308 · 1 verse

    Authoritative transmitter who frames doctrine through an…

  6. Bhīṣma-Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म-कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)

    Mahabharata 6.117 · 6 verses

    Wounded patriarch dispensing truth, absolution, and…

  7. Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma

    Mahabharata 6.103 · 37 verses

    Unconquerable commander who voluntarily discloses his own…

  8. Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)

    Mahabharata 12.138 · 1 verse

    Primary instructor

  9. Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

    Mahabharata 13.107 · 1 verse

    Normative authority who elevates ācāra as the master-key…

  10. Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence: Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma

    Mahabharata 13.47 · 3 verses

    Dharma-authority delivering casuistic inheritance doctrine with…

Key episodes

  1. The Gita Begins: Arjuna's Despair on the Battlefield

    Bhagavad Gita 1-2

  2. Devavrata's Vow: How Bhishma Got His Name

    Mahabharata 1.94

  3. Draupadi Dragged into the Assembly

    Mahabharata 2.60-2.63

  4. Bhishma Falls to the Bed of Arrows

    Mahabharata 6.114-6.117

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q1405629