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 ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Hãy an trụ trong cõi người—được biết đến với danh xưng Vāsudeva—và giáng sinh trên mặt đất để tiêu diệt bọn 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.