Shloka 26

Devanagari script

भीष्म कुरूणामृषभं दिव्यकर्मपराक्रमम्‌ । फिर तो शीतल, अमृतके समान मधुर तथा दिव्य सुगन्ध एवं दिव्यरससे संयुक्त जलकी सुन्दर स्वच्छ धारा ऊपरकी ओर उठ-(कर भीष्मके मुखमें पड़)-ने लगी। उस शीतल जलधारासे अर्जुनने दिव्यकर्म एवं पराक्रमवाले कुरुश्रेष्ठ भीष्मको तृप्त कर दिया || २४-२५ - कर्मणा तेन पार्थस्य शक्रस्थेव विकुर्वत:

Transliteration

bhīṣmaṃ kurūṇām ṛṣabhaṃ divya-karma-parākramam | karmaṇā tena pārthasya śakrasyāiva vikurvataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: By that deed of Pārtha—wrought with a power like Indra’s—Bhīṣma, the bull among the Kurus, renowned for divine exploits and heroic might, was satisfied. In the narrative context, Arjuna’s act is not mere prowess but a dharmic service to a fallen elder-warrior: even amid war, reverence and compassionate duty toward a venerable opponent are upheld.

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma (the grandsire of the Kurus), object of the action', 'kurūṇām': 'of the Kurus (Kuru lineage/people)', 'ṛṣabham': 'bull

• best, foremost (honorific epithet)', 'divya': 'divine, extraordinary, celestial', 'karma': 'deed, act

• here: remarkable feat', 'parākrama': 'valor, heroic prowess', 'karmaṇā': 'by the deed/act (instrumental)', 'tena': 'by that (referring to the specific feat just described)', 'pārthasya': 'of Pārtha (Arjuna, son of Pṛthā/Kuntī)', 'śakrasya': 'of Śakra (Indra)', 'iva': 'like, as if', 'vikurvataḥ': 'performing, effecting, displaying (active exertion/manifestation)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Kurus
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Śakra (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in righteous warfare, dharma requires honoring and serving the venerable—especially when they are suffering. Arjuna’s extraordinary act is framed as ethical duty and reverence, not triumphalism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that through a remarkable feat by Arjuna (likened to Indra’s power), Bhīṣma—the foremost of the Kurus—was satisfied, referring to the immediately preceding action that relieved Bhīṣma’s distress.