Shloka 32
भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्
Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra
रामस्य मम चैवाशु व्योमावृत्य समन्ततः । महाबाहो! तत्पश्चात् मैंने भी शीघ्रतापूर्वक ऐसे अस्त्रोंका प्रयोग आरम्भ किया, जो युद्धभूमिमें विपक्षीकी गतिको रोक देनेवाले थे। मेरे तथा परशुरामजीके बाण आकाशमें सब ओर फैलकर मध्यभागमें ही ठहर गये ।।
rāmasya mama caivāśu vyomāvṛtya samantataḥ | mahābāho tatpaścāt mayāpi śīghratāpūrvakam evam astrāṇi prayuktāni yāni raṇabhūmau vipakṣasya gatiṃ nirodhayanti | mama ca paraśurāmasya ca bāṇā ākāśe sarvato vistṛtya madhyabhāga eva sthitāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Pagkaraan, O makapangyarihang may bisig, agad din akong nagsimulang gumamit ng mga sandatang kayang pumigil sa galaw ng kalaban sa larangan ng digmaan. Ang aking mga palaso at ang kay Paraśurāma ay kumalat sa langit sa lahat ng panig, subalit tila nakabitin sa pinakagitna, na wari’y natakpan ang kalangitan ng isang lambat ng mga palaso.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the disciplined, technical dimension of kṣatriya combat: weapons are not only for killing but can be used to control the opponent’s mobility. It also implies an ethical tension—skill and restraint can coexist even amid escalating violence, as both warriors display mastery rather than chaos.
Bhīṣma narrates the duel with Paraśurāma. After Paraśurāma’s missiles fill the sky, Bhīṣma responds quickly by deploying astras designed to obstruct the enemy’s movement. Their arrows spread everywhere in the sky and appear to remain suspended in the central space, creating the image of the heavens being covered by a dense net of shafts.