Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
मानुषं लोकमातिष्ठ वासुदेव इति श्रुत: । असुराणां वधार्थाय सम्भवस्व महीतले
mānuṣaṁ lokam ātiṣṭha vāsudeva iti śrutaḥ | asurāṇāṁ vadhārthāya sambhavasva mahītale ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Manahan ka sa daigdig ng mga tao—na kikilalanin bilang Vāsudeva—at isilang sa lupa upang lipulin ang mga Asura.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse frames divine descent into the human realm as a dharmic intervention: when destructive forces threaten cosmic and social order, the divine assumes human presence to protect the world and remove adharma.
Bhīṣma reports an injunction directed to Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa): to take birth on earth in human society with the specific mission of eliminating Asuric forces, setting the background for Kṛṣṇa’s role in the conflict and restoration of order.