Shloka 25
Bhīṣma’s Stuti of Keśava and Counsel on Nara–Nārāyaṇa (भीष्म-स्तवः; नरनारायण-प्रसङ्गः)
ततः स तूर्ण रुधिरोदफेनां कृत्वा नदीमाशु रणे रिपूणाम् । जगाम सौभद्रमतीत्य भीष्मो महारथं पार्थमदीनसत्त्व:
tataḥ sa tūrṇaṃ rudhirodaphenāṃ kṛtvā nadīm āśu raṇe ripūṇām | jagāma saubhadram atītya bhīṣmo mahārathaṃ pārtham adīnasattvaḥ || sa pragṛhya mahāghoraṃ nistriṃśavaram āyasam | padātis tūrṇam ānarcched rathasthaṃ puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Pagkaraan, si Bhīṣma, mabilis at di-nanghihina ang loob, ay agad na ginawang parang ilog ang dugo ng mga kaaway na bumubula sa labanan; at nilampasan si Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) upang humarap sa dakilang mandirigmang-karwahe na si Pārtha (Arjuna). Hawak ang isang lubhang kakila-kilabot na tabak na bakal, ang dakilang lalaki ay sumugod nang naglalakad patungo sa mandirigmang nasa karwahe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of steadfast courage and decisive action in war, while also underscoring the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: heroic duty is pursued amid terrifying, dehumanizing violence (the ‘river of blood’), inviting reflection on the cost of righteous conflict.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s rapid advance: he cuts through enemies so fiercely that the battlefield is likened to a foaming river of blood. He bypasses Abhimanyu and moves to engage Arjuna, taking up a dreadful iron sword and rushing toward a chariot-borne opponent.