05170001a kimarthamM bharatazreSTha na hanyAs tvaM zikhaNDinam 'For what reason, O chief of the bharatas, wilt thou not slay Sikhandin
05170001c udyateSum atho dRSTvA samareSv AtatAyinam even if thou beholdest him approach thee as a foe with weapons upraised?
05170002a pUrvam uktvA mahAbAho pANDavAn saha somakaiH Thou hadst, O mighty-armed one, formerly told me,--I will slay the pAJcalas with the somakas'--
05170002c vadhiSyAmIti gAGgeya tan me brUhi pitAmaha O son of gaGgA, tell me, O grandsire (the reason of the present reservation),'
05170003 bhISma uvAca 'bhISma said,
05170003a zRNu duryodhana kathAM sahaibhir vasudhAdhipaiH 'Listen, O duryodhana, to this history, with all these lords of earth,
05170003c yadarthaM yudhi samMprekSya nAhaM hanyAM zikhaNDinam as to why I will not slay Sikhandin if I meet him in the battlefield!
05170004a mahArAjo mama pitA zanMtanur lokavizrutaH My father, king zantanu, was celebrated over all the world,
05170004c diSTAntamM prApa dharmAtmA samaye bharatarSabha that king of virtuous soul paid his debt to nature in time, O bull of the bharata race.
05170005a tato 'hamM bharatazreSTha pratijJAmM paripAlayan Then I, observing my pledge, O chief of the bharatas,
05170005c citrAGgadamM bhrAtaraM vai mahArAjye 'bhyaSecayam installed my brother, Chitrangada, on the throne of the extensive kingdom of the kurus.
05170006a tasmiMz ca nidhanamM prApte satyavatyA mate sthitaH After his demise, I, obedient to the counsels of Satyavati,
05170006c vicitravIryaM rAjAnam abhyaSiJcaM yathAvidhi installed, according to the ordinance, vicitravIrya as king.
05170007a mayAbhiSikto rAjendra yavIyAn api dharmataH Although young in age, yet being installed duly by me, O monarch,
05170007c vicitravIryo dharmAtmA mAm eva samudaikSata the virtuous vicitravIrya looked up to me in everything.
05170008a tasya dArakriyAnM tAta cikIrSur aham apy uta Desirous of finding wives for him,
05170008c anurUpAd iva kulAd iti cintya mano dadhe I set my heart upon procuring daughters from a suitable family.
05170009a tathAzrauSamM mahAbAho tisraH kanyAH svayaMvare (At that time) I heard, O thou of mighty arms, that three maidens,
05170009c rUpeNApratimAsH sarvAH kAzirAjasutAs tadA all unrivalled for beauty, daughters of the ruler of Kasi,
05170009e ambA caivAmbikA caiva tathaivAmbAlikAparA by name Amva, Amvika, and Amvalika would select husbands for themselves,
05170010a rAjAnaz ca samAhUtAH pRthivyAM bharatarSabha and that all the kings of the earth, O bull of the bharata's race, had been invited.
05170010c ambA jyeSThAbhavat tAsAm ambikA tv atha madhyamA Amongst those maidens Amva was the eldest, Amvika the second,
05170010e ambAlikA ca rAjendra rAjakanyA yavIyasI while the princess Amvalika, O monarch, was the youngest.
05170011a so 'ham ekarathenaiva gataH kAzipateH purIm Myself repairing on a single car to the city of the ruler of Kasi,
05170011c apazyanM tA mahAbAho tisraH kanyAH svalaMkRtAH I beheld, O thou of mighty arms, the three maidens adorned with ornaments
05170011e rAjJaz caiva samAvRttAn pArthivAn pRthivIpate and also all the kings of the earth invited thither on the occasion.
05170012a tato 'hanM tAn nRpAn sarvAn AhUya samare sthitAn Then, challenging to battle all those kings who were ready for the encounter,
05170012c ratham AropayAJMcakre kanyAs tA bharatarSabha I took up those maidens on my car, O bull of bharata's race.
note: very rare instance of first-person cakre
05170013a vIryazulkAz ca tA jJAtvA samAropya rathanM tadA
05170013c avocamM pArthivAn sarvAn ahanM tatra samAgatAn and repeatedly said unto all the kings assembled there these words--
05170013e bhISmazH zAnMtanavaH kanyA haratIti punaH punaH 'bhISma, the son of zantanu, is carrying away by force these maidens.'
05170014a te yatadhvamM paraM zaktyA sarve mokSAya pArthivAH Ye kings, strive ye all to the best of your power for rescuing them!
05170014c prasahya hi nayAmy eSa miSatAM vo narAdhipAH By force do I take them away, ye bulls among men, making you spectators of my act--
05170015a tatas te pRthivIpAlAsH samutpetur udAyudhAH At these words of mine those rulers of the earth sprang up with weapons unsheathed. And those monarchs sprang up to the rescue, with weapons unsheathed;
05170015c yogo yoga iti kruddhAsH sArathIMz cApy acodayan And they angrily urged the drivers of their cars, saying, 'Make ready the cars,--Make ready the cars.'
05170016a te rathair meghasaGMkAzair gajaiz ca gajayodhinaH car-warriors on their cars resembling masses of clouds, those fighting from elephants, on their elephants,
05170016c pRSThyaiz cAzvair mahIpAlAsH samutpetur udAyudhAH and others on their stout and plump steeds.
05170017a tatas te mAmM mahIpAlAsH sarva eva vizAmM pate Then all those kings, O monarch, surrounded me
05170017c rathavrAtena mahatA sarvataH paryavArayan on all sides with a multitudinous number of cars.
05170018a tAn ahaM zaravarSeNa mahatA pratyavArayam With a shower of arrows, I stopped their onrush on all sides and vanquished them
05170018c sarvAn nRpAMz cApy ajayanM devarAD iva dAnavAn like the chief of celestials vanquishing hordes of dAnavas.
05170019a teSAm ApatatAJM citrAn dhvajAn hemapariSkRtAn with easiness I cut down the variegated standards, decked with gold, of the advancing kings,
05170019c ekaikena hi bANena bhUmau pAtitavAn aham with blazing shafts, each with a single arrow,
05170020a hayAMz caiSAGM gajAMz caiva sArathIMz cApy ahaM raNe In that combat I overthrew their steeds and elephants and car-drivers
05170020c apAtayaM zarair dIptaiH prahasan puruSarSabha laughingly, O bull of bharata's race!
05170021a te nivRttAz ca bhagnAz ca dRSTvA tal lAghavamM mama Beholding that lightness (of hand) of mine, they desisted (from the fight) and broke.
05170021c athAhaM hAstinapuram AyAJM jitvA mahIkSitaH And having vanquished all those rulers of the earth, I came back to hAstinapura,
05170022a ato 'hanM tAz ca kanyA vai bhrAtur arthAya bhArata I then, O thou of mighty arms, made over those maidens, intending them for my brothers
05170022c tac ca karma mahAbAho satyavatyai nyavedayam to Satyavati and represented unto her everything I had done.''
