Shloka 24
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
मायाकृतात्मानमिव भीष्म तत्र सम मेनिरे । पूर्वस्यां दिशि त॑ दृष्टवा प्रतीच्यां ददृशुर्जना:
māyākṛtātmānam iva bhīṣma tatra sama menire | pūrvasyāṃ diśi taṃ dṛṣṭvā pratīcyāṃ dadṛśur janāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: There, the people thought Bhīṣma to be as though a being fashioned by illusion. Having seen him in the eastern direction, they then beheld him again in the west—so wondrous and bewildering was his appearance and movement amid the tumult of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the chaos of war, extraordinary prowess can appear almost unreal—reminding the listener that perception is easily overwhelmed by fear, speed, and spectacle, and that human judgment can mistake skill and momentum for ‘māyā’ (illusion).
Sañjaya reports that observers on the battlefield were astonished by Bhīṣma’s movements: after seeing him in the east, they seemed to see him again in the west, as if he were an illusory being—an image of his swift, dominating presence in combat.