Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 120
शड्खभृन्नन्दकी चक्री शार्ज्धन्वा गदाधर: । रथाड्रपाणिरक्षोभ्य: सर्वप्रहरणायुध:
śaṅkhabhṛn nandakī cakrī śārṅgadhanvā gadādharaḥ | rathāṅgapāṇir akṣobhyaḥ sarvapraharaṇāyudhaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Ia memegang sangkha (kerang suci); menggenggam pedang Nandaka; membawa cakra Sudarśana; mengangkat busur Śārṅga; dan memikul gada Kaumodakī. Demi menegakkan sebuah ikrar, Ia pernah mengangkat roda kereta di tangan-Nya; tak tergoyahkan dan tak dapat diguncang, Ia bersenjata dengan segala macam senjata. Bait ini memuji kesiapsiagaan Sang Tuhan untuk bertindak tegas demi dharma dan perlindungan para pencari perlindungan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine is not merely contemplative but actively protective: steadfast (akṣobhya) and fully capable (sarvapraharaṇāyudha), the Lord will take whatever form of action is needed to uphold dharma and safeguard those bound by truth and vows.
Bhishma is eulogizing Krishna through a chain of iconic epithets and weapons. The phrase rathāṅga-pāṇi recalls Krishna’s dramatic readiness to seize a chariot-wheel as a weapon to preserve a pledge and protect his devotee—an emblem of decisive intervention in the Kurukṣetra context.