05177002a kAzye kAmanM na gRhNAmi zastraM vai varavarNini 'O daughter of Kasi, O thou of the fairest complexion, I do not, on any account, take up arms now
05177002c Rte brahmavidAM hetoH kim anyat karavANi te except for the sake of those that are conversant with the Vedas. Tell me, therefore, what else I can do for thee?
05177003a vAcA bhISmaz ca zAlvaz ca mama rAjJi vazAnugau
05177003c bhaviSyato 'navadyAGgi tat kariSyAmi mA zucaH Both bhISma and zAlva are, O princess, exceedingly obedient to me. Do not grieve, I will accomplish thy object.
05177004a na tu zastraGM grahISyAmi kathaJM cid api bhAmini I will not, however, O beautiful lady, take up arms,
05177004c Rte niyogAd viprANAm eSa me samayaH kRtaH except at the command of brAhmaNas. This hath been my rule of conduct.'
05177005 ambovAca 'ambA said,
05177005a mama duHkhaM bhagavatA vyapaneyaM yatas tataH 'My misery, O holy one, should by any means be dispelled by thee.
05177005c tat tu bhISmaprasUtamM me taJM jahIzvara mAciram That misery of mine hath been caused by bhISma. Slay him, therefore, O lord, without much delay.'
05177006 rAma uvAca 'rAma said,
05177006a kAzikanye punar brUhi bhISmas te caraNAv ubhau 'O daughter of Kasi, say but the word and bhISma, however,
05177006c zirasA vandanArho 'pi grahISyati girA mama deserving of reverence from thee, will, at my word, take up thy feet on his head!'
05177007 ambovAca 'ambA said,
05177007a jahi bhISmaM raNe rAma mama ced icchasi priyam Indeed, summoned to the encounter (by him), slay him, O rAma, if thou wishest (to do) what is agreeable to me.
05177007c pratizrutaJM ca yadi tat satyaGM kartum ihArhasi It behoveth thee, besides, to make thy promise true.'
05177008 bhISma uvAca 'bhISma continued,
05177008a tayosH saMvadator evaM rAjan rAmAmbayos tadA 'While, O king, rAma and ambA were talking thus with each other,
05177008c akRtavraNo jAmadagnyam idaM vacanam abravIt the RSi (Akritavrana) of highly virtuous soul said these words,
05177009a zaraNAgatAmM mahAbAho kanyAnM na tyaktum arhasi 'It behoveth thee not, O mighty-armed one, to desert this girl that seeketh thy protection!
05177009c jahi bhISmaM raNe rAma garjantam asuraM yathA 'O rAma, slay in battle that bhISma who roareth like an asura.
05177010a yadi bhISmas tvayAhUto raNe rAma mahAmune If summoned to battle, bhISma cometh to the encounter and sayeth
05177010c nirjito 'smIti vA brUyAt kuryAd vA vacananM tava ' I am vanquished ', or he obeyeth thy words,
05177011a kRtam asyA bhavet kAryaGM kanyAyA bhRgunandana then that which this maiden seeketh will be accomplished, O son of Bhrigu's race,
05177011c vAkyaM satyaJM ca te vIra bhaviSyati kRtaM vibho and the words spoken by thee, O hero, will also, O lord, be true!
05177012a iyaJM cApi pratijJA te tadA rAma mahAmune This also was, O great Muni, the vow then made by thee, O rAma,
05177012c jitvA vai kSatriyAn sarvAn brAhmaNeSu pratizrutam before brAhmaNas after thou hadst conquered all the kSatriyas,
05177013a brAhmaNaH kSatriyo vaizyaH zUdraz caiva raNe yadi
05177013c brahmadviD bhavitA taM vai haniSyAmIti bhArgava viz., that thou wouldst slay in battle the person, be he a brAhmaNa, a kSatriya, a vaizya, or a zUdra, who would be a foe to the brAhmaNas.
05177014a zaraNaM hi prapannAnAmM bhItAnAJM jIvitArthinAm
05177014c na zakSyAmi parityAgaGM kartuJM jIvan kathaJM cana Thou hadst further promised that as long as thou wouldst live thou wouldst not abandon those that would come to thee in fright and seek thy protection,
05177015a yaz ca kSatraM raNe kRtsnaM vijeSyati samAgatam
05177015c dRptAtmAnam ahanM taJM ca haniSyAmIti bhArgava and that thou wouldst, O Bhargava, slay that proud warrior who would vanquish in battle all the assembled kSatriyas of the earth!
05177016a sa evaM vijayI rAma bhISmaH kurukulodvahaH O Ram, even bhISma, that perpetuator of kuru's race, hath achieved such success (over all the kSatriyas)!
05177016c tena yudhyasva saGMgrAme sametya bhRgunandana Approaching him, O son of Bhrigu's race, encounter him now in battle!'
05177017 rAma uvAca 'rAma said,
05177017a smarAmy ahamM pUrvakRtAmM pratijJAm RSisattama 'O best of RSis, I recollect that vow of mine made before.
05177017c tathaiva ca kariSyAmi yathA sAmnaiva lapsyate I will, however (in the present instance) do that which conciliation may point out.
05177018a kAryam etan mahad brahman kAzikanyAmanogatam That task which the daughter of Kasi hath in her mind is a grave one, O brAhmaNa!
05177018c gamiSyAmi svayanM tatra kanyAm AdAya yatra saH Taking this maiden with me, I will repair myself to the place where bhISma is.
05177019a yadi bhISmo raNazlAghI If bhISma, proud of his achievements in battle,
05177019b na kariSyati me vacaH does not obey my behest,
05177019c haniSyAmy enam udriktam I will then slay that arrogant wight.
05177019d iti me nizcitA matiH Even this is my fixed resolve.
05177020a na hi bANA mayotsRSTAsH sajjantIha zarIriNAm The arrows shot by me do not stick to the bodies of embodied creatures (but pass them through).
05177020c kAyeSu viditanM tubhyamM purA kSatriyasaGMgare This is known to you from what you saw in my encounters with the kSatriyas!'
05177021 bhISma uvAca bhISma said
05177021a evam uktvA tato rAmasH saha tair brahmavAdibhiH Having said this, rAma then, along with all those seekers of brahmA,
05177021c prayANAya matiGM kRtvA samuttasthau mahAmanAH resolved to depart from that asylum! and the great ascetic then rose from his seat.
note: mahAtapAs ?
05177022a tatas te tAm uSitvA tu rajanInM tatra tApasAH Then after those ascetics passed that night there,
05177022c hutAgnayo japtajapyAH pratasthur majjighAMsayA they performed their homa-rites and recited their prayers. And then they all set out, desirous of taking my life.
05177023a abhyagacchat tato rAmasH saha tair brAhmaNarSabhaiH And rAma, accompanied by all those devotees of brahmA, then came
05177023c kurukSetramM mahArAja kanyayA saha bhArata to kurukSetra, O monarch, with that maiden, O bharata, in their company.
05177024a nyavizanta tatasH sarve parigRhya sarasvatIm And those high-souled ascetics arrived on the banks of the stream of Saraswati, and quartered themselves there
05177024c tApasAs te mahAtmAno bhRguzreSThapuraskRtAH with that foremost one of Bhrigu's race at their head.
