Shloka 26

Devanagari script

भीष्म कुरूणामृषभं दिव्यकर्मपराक्रमम्‌ । फिर तो शीतल

Transliteration

bhīṣmaṃ kurūṇām ṛṣabhaṃ divya-karma-parākramam | karmaṇā tena pārthasya śakrasyāiva vikurvataḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：凭借般度之子帕尔塔（阿周那）那一举——其威力宛如因陀罗——俱卢之中如雄牛般卓绝的毗湿摩，以神圣功业与英雄神力著称者，遂得满足而心神安定。清凉甘美、如甘露般甜润，兼具天香与天味的澄澈水流，向上涌起；阿周那以此清冷之流使毗湿摩——俱卢之最胜者——得以解渴而慰藉。于叙事之中，此举并非单纯逞勇，而是依于法（Dharma）对倒下的长者战士尽敬与尽责：纵在战阵之中，亦不废对可敬之敌的礼敬与慈悯之义务。

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma (the grandsire of the Kurus), object of the action', 'kurūṇām': 'of the Kurus (Kuru lineage/people)', 'ṛṣabham': 'bull

• best, foremost (honorific epithet)', 'divya': 'divine, extraordinary, celestial', 'karma': 'deed, act

• here: remarkable feat', 'parākrama': 'valor, heroic prowess', 'karmaṇā': 'by the deed/act (instrumental)', 'tena': 'by that (referring to the specific feat just described)', 'pārthasya': 'of Pārtha (Arjuna, son of Pṛthā/Kuntī)', 'śakrasya': 'of Śakra (Indra)', 'iva': 'like, as if', 'vikurvataḥ': 'performing, effecting, displaying (active exertion/manifestation)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Kurus
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Śakra (Indra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in righteous warfare, dharma requires honoring and serving the venerable—especially when they are suffering. Arjuna’s extraordinary act is framed as ethical duty and reverence, not triumphalism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that through a remarkable feat by Arjuna (likened to Indra’s power), Bhīṣma—the foremost of the Kurus—was satisfied, referring to the immediately preceding action that relieved Bhīṣma’s distress.