Shloka 120
शड्खभृन्नन्दकी चक्री शार्ज्धन्वा गदाधर: । रथाड्रपाणिरक्षोभ्य: सर्वप्रहरणायुध:
śaṅkhabhṛn nandakī cakrī śārṅgadhanvā gadādharaḥ | rathāṅgapāṇir akṣobhyaḥ sarvapraharaṇāyudhaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Dia memegang sangkha; menghunus pedang Nandaka; membawa cakra; memegang busur Śārṅga; dan memikul gada. Dialah yang, demi menegakkan suatu ikrar, pernah menggenggam roda kereta perang di tangannya; teguh, tidak tergoncang dan mustahil diganggu; serta bersenjata dengan segala jenis senjata. Ayat ini memuji kesediaan Tuhan bertindak tegas demi kebenaran dan demi melindungi mereka yang berlindung kepada-Nya, walau perlu melampaui batasan kebiasaan.
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.