05153001a tatazH zAnMtanavamM bhISmamM prAJjalir dhRtarASTrajaH dhRtarASTra's son, then addressed bhISma the son of zantanu, and with joined hands
05153001c saha sarvair mahIpAlair idaM vacanam abravIt said these words, accompanied by all the kings --
05153002a Rte senApraNetAramM pRtanA sumahaty api 'Without a commander, even a mighty army
05153002c dIryate yuddham AsAdya pipIlikapuTaM yathA is routed in battle like a swarm of ants.
05153003a na hi jAtu dvayor buddhisH samA bhavati karhi cit The intelligence of two persons can never agree.
05153003c zauryaJM ca nAma netRRNAM spardhate ca parasparam Different commanders, again, are jealous of one another as regards their prowess.
05153004a zrUyate ca mahAprAjJa haihayAn amitaujasaH O thou of great wisdom, it is heard (by us) that all brahmins went against the kSatriyas of the Haihaya clan endued with immeasurable energy,
05153004c abhyayur brAhmaNAsH sarve samucchritakuzadhvajAH raising a standard of Kusa grass.
05153005a tAn anvayus tadA vaizyAzH zUdrAz caiva pitAmaha O grandsire, the vaizyas and the zUdras followed the brAhmaNas,
05153005c ekatas tu trayo varNA ekataH kSatriyarSabhAH so that all the three orders were on one side, while those bulls among the kSatriyas were alone on the other.
05153006a te sma yuddheSv abhajyanta trayo varNAH punaH punaH In the battles, however, that ensued, the three orders repeatedly broke,
05153006c kSatriyAs tu jayanty eva bahulaJM caikato balam while the kSatriyas, though alone, vanquished large army that was opposed to them.
05153007a tatas te kSatriyAn eva papracchur dvijasattamAH Then those best of brAhmaNas enquired of the kSatriyas themselves (as to the cause of this).
05153007c tebhyazH zazaMsur dharmajJA yAthAtathyamM pitAmaha O grandsire, those that were virtuous among the kSatriyas returned the true answer to the enquirers,
05153008a vayam ekasya zRNumo mahAbuddhimato raNe saying, 'In battle we obey the orders of one person endued with great intelligence,
05153008c bhavantas tu pRthak sarve svabuddhivazavartinaH while ye are disunited from one another and act according to your individual understanding.'
05153009a tatas te brAhmaNAz cakrur ekaM senApatinM dvijam The brAhmaNas then appointed one amongst themselves as their commander,
05153009c nayeSu kuzalaM zUram ajayan kSatriyAMs tataH who was brave and conversant with the ways of policy. And they then succeeded in vanquishing the kSatriyas.
05153010a evaM ye kuzalaM zUraM hite sthitam akalmaSam Thus people who appoint a skilled, brave, and sinless
05153010c senApatimM prakurvanti te jayanti raNe ripUn commander, observing the good of the forces under him, always conquer their foes in battle.
05153011a bhavAn uzanasA tulyo hitaiSI ca sadA mama As regards thee, thou art equal to uzanas himself, and always seekest my good.
05153011c asaMhAryasH sthito dharme sa nasH senApatir bhava Incapable of being slain, thou art, again devoted to virtue. Be thou, therefore, our commander.
05153012a razmIvatAm ivAdityo vIrudhAm iva candramAH (You are) like the sun among all luminaries, like the moon unto all delicious herbs,
05153012c kubera iva yakSANAmM marutAm iva vAsavaH like kubera among the yakSas, like indra among the maruts,
05153013a parvatAnAM yathA merusH suparNaH patatAm iva like Meru among mountains, Suparna among the birds,
05153013c kumAra iva bhUtAnAM vasUnAm iva havyavAT kumAra among the gods, havyavaha among vasus.
05153014a bhavatA hi vayaGM guptAzH zakreNeva divaukasaH We, protected by thee, like the gods protected by zakra,
05153014c anAdhRSyA bhaviSyAmas tridazAnAm api dhruvam will assuredly become invincible even by the gods.
05153015a prayAtu no bhavAn agre devAnAm iva pAvakiH March thou at our head, like agni's son (Kumara) at the head of the gods,
05153015c vayanM tvAm anuyAsyAmasH saurabheyA iva rSabham and let us follow thee like calves following the lead of a mighty bull.'
05153016 bhISma uvAca 'bhISma said,
05153016a evam etan mahAbAho yathA vadasi bhArata 'O mighty-armed one, it is even so, 'O bharata, as thou sayest.
05153016c yathaiva hi bhavanto me tathaiva mama pANDavAH But the pANDavas are as dear to me as ye yourselves.
05153017a api caiva mayA zreyo vAcyanM teSAnM narAdhipa Therefore, O king, I should certainly seek their good as well,
05153017c yoddhavyanM tu tavArthAya yathA sa samayaH kRtaH although I shall certainly fight for thee, having given thee a pledge (before) to that effect.
05153018a na tu pazyAmi yoddhAram AtmanasH sadRzamM bhuvi I do not see the warrior on earth that is equal to me,
05153018c Rte tasmAn naravyAghrAt kuntIputrAd dhanaJMjayAt except that tiger among men, dhanaJjaya, the son of kuntI.
05153019a sa hi veda mahAbAhur divyAny astrANi sarvazaH Endued with great intelligence, he is conversant with innumerable celestial weapons.
05153019c na tu mAM vivRto yuddhe jAtu yudhyeta pANDavaH That son of pANDu, however, will never fight with me openly.
05153020a ahaM sa ca kSaNenaiva nirmanuSyam idaJM jagat I can, in a trice, destroy this universe consisting of humans,
05153020c kuryAM zastrabalenaiva sasurAsurarAkSasam gods, asuras, and rAkSasas, with the power of my weapons.
05153021a na tv evotsAdanIyA me pANDoH putrA narAdhipa I shouln't, however, exterminate the sons of pANDu, O king.
note: Long ago, bhISma promised to protect all descendants of satyavatI.
05153021c tasmAd yodhAn haniSyAmi prayogeNAyutaM sadA I shall, therefore, slay every day ten thousand warriors.
05153022a evam eSAGM kariSyAmi nidhanaGM kurunandana I will continue to slaughter their forces thus
05153022c na cet te mAM haniSyanti pUrvam eva samAgame if, indeed, they do not slay me in battle first.
05153023a senApatis tv ahaM rAjan samayenApareNa te There is another understanding on which
05153023c bhaviSyAmi yathAkAmanM tan me zrotum ihArhasi I may willingly become the commander of thy forces. It behoveth thee to listen to that.
05153024a karNo vA yudhyatAmM pUrvam ahaM vA pRthivIpate O lord of earth, either karNa should fight first, or I will fight first.
05153024c spardhate hi sadAtyarthaM sUtaputro mayA raNe The sUta's son always boasts of his prowess in battle, comparing it with mine.'
05153025 karNa uvAca
05153025a nAhaJM jIvati gAGgeye yotsye rAjan kathaJM cana 'karNa said, 'As long as gaGgA's son liveth, O king, I shall never fight.
05153025c hate bhISme tu yotsyAmi saha gANDIvadhanvanA After bhISma is slain, I shall fight with the wielder of gANDIva.'
05153026a tatasH senApatiJM cakre vidhivad bhUridakSiNam 'After this, dhRtarASTra's son duly made bhISma the commander of his force, distributing large presents.
05153026c dhRtarASTrAtmajo bhISmaM so 'bhiSikto vyarocata And after, his installation in the command, he blazed forth with beauty.
05153027a tato bherIz ca zaGkhAMz ca zatazaz caiva puSkarAn
05153027c vAdayAmAsur avyagrAH puruSA rAjazAsanAt And at the king's behest, musicians cheerfully played upon drums and blew conchs by hundreds and thousands.
05153028a siMhanAdAz ca vividhA vAhanAnAJM ca nisvanAH And numerous leonine roars were sent forth and all the animals in the camp uttered their cries together.
05153028c prAdurAsann anabhre ca varSaM rudhirakardamam And although the sky was cloudless, a bloody shower fell and made the ground miry.
05153029a nirghAtAH pRthivIkampA gajabRMhitanisvanAH And fierce whirl-winds, and earthquakes, and roars of elephants,
05153029c AsaMz ca sarvayodhAnAmM pAtayanto manAMsy uta occurring, depressed the hearts of all the warriors.
05153030a vAcaz cApy azarIriNyo divaz colkAH prapedire Incorporeal voices and flashes of meteoric falls were heard and seen in the welkin.
05153030c zivAz ca bhayavedinyo nedur dIptasvarA bhRzam And jackals, howling fiercely, foreboded great calamity.
note: vedinyaH that forebode
05153031a sainApatye yadA rAjA gAGgeyam abhiSiktavAn When the king installed gaGgA's son in the command of his troops,
05153031c tadaitAny ugrarUpANi abhavaJ zatazo nRpa these and a hundred other kinds of fierce portents made their appearance, O monarch.
05153032a tatasH senApatiGM kRtvA bhISmamM parabalArdanam And after making bhISma --that grinder of hostile hosts-- his general,
05153032c vAcayitvA dvijazreSThAn niSkair gobhiz ca bhUrizaH and having also caused by abundant gifts of kine and gold to the brAhmaNas to pronounce benedictions on him,
05153033a vardhamAno jayAzIrbhir niryayau sainikair vRtaH and glorified by those benedictions, and surrounded by his troops,
05153033c ApageyamM puraskRtya bhrAtRbhisH sahitas tadA and with gaGgA's son in the van, and accompanied by his brothers,
05153033e skandhAvAreNa mahatA kurukSetraJM jagAma ha duryodhana marched to kurukSetra with his large host.
05153034a parikramya kurukSetraGM karNena saha kauravaH And the kuru king, going over the plain with karNa in his company,
05153034c zibiramM mApayAmAsa same deze narAdhipaH caused his camp to be measured out on a level part, O monarch, of that plain.
05153035a madhurAnUSare deze prabhUtayavasendhane And the camp, pitched on a delightful and fertile spot abounding with grass and fuel,
05153035c yathaiva hAstinapuranM tadvac chibiram Ababhau shone like hAstinapura itself.''
