Shloka 9
Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
मत्वा तु निहतं रामस्ततो मां भरतर्षभ । मेघवद् विननादोच्चैर्जहषे च पुनः पुन:,भरतश्रेष्ठ] उस समय मुझे मारा गया जानकर परशुरामजी मेघके समान गम्भीर स्वरसे गर्जना करने लगे। उनके शरीरमें बार-बार हर्षजनित रोमांच होने लगा
matvā tu nihataṃ rāmas tato māṃ bharatarṣabha | meghavad vinanādoccair jahaṣe ca punaḥ punaḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Mas quando Rama (Parashurama) julgou que eu havia sido morto, ó touro entre os Bharatas, ele rugiu em alta voz com um som profundo como nuvem de trovão e, repetidas vezes, irrompeu em riso exultante.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense rivalry and wounded honor can produce triumphal exultation even amid violence. It implicitly cautions that martial prowess and pride may eclipse discernment, a recurring ethical tension in the epic’s treatment of kshatriya conduct.
In Bhishma’s recollection of his duel with Parashurama, Parashurama momentarily believes Bhishma has been killed. Reacting to that belief, he thunders loudly like a rain-cloud and repeatedly laughs in exhilaration.