Shloka 71
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
प्राद्रवन्ति रणे दृष्टवा हर्षयन्त: पितामहम् । सो5हं भीष्म निहन्म्यद्य पाण्डवार्थाय दंशित:,महात्मा पाए्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी यह विशाल सेना भागी जा रही है और ये कौरवलोग रणक्षेत्रमें सोमकोंको शीघ्रतापूर्वक भागते देख पितामहका हर्ष बढ़ाते हुए उन्हें खदेड़ रहे हैं; अतः आज पाण्डवोंके लिये कवच धारण किया हुआ मैं स्वयं ही भीष्मको मारे डालता हूँ
sañjaya uvāca | prādravanti raṇe dṛṣṭvā harṣayantaḥ pitāmaham | so ’haṃ bhīṣma nihany adya pāṇḍavārthāya daṃśitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Seeing them in the thick of battle, they rush forward, delighting the grandsire (Bhīṣma). Therefore, for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas, I—armoured and resolute—shall today myself strike down Bhīṣma.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of decisive action in war when one believes a higher cause is at stake: personal hesitation is set aside, and the speaker frames even the extreme act of killing a revered elder (Bhīṣma) as justified ‘for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas.’ It foregrounds the moral strain of dharma in conflict—duty and loyalty colliding with reverence.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment where warriors surge forward, their actions increasing Bhīṣma’s exhilaration. In response, a combatant declares a firm intention to kill Bhīṣma that very day, fully armoured and motivated by the Pāṇḍavas’ cause—signaling escalation against the Kaurava commander.