Bhishma Rebukes Karna

Verse 1 (5.21.1)

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रज्ञावृद्धो महाद्युतिः । संपूज्यैनं यथाकालं भीष्मो वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā prajñāvṛddho mahādyutiḥ | saṃpūjyainaṃ yathākālaṃ bhīṣmo vacanamabravīt

Hearing his words, Bhishma, mature in wisdom and of great splendour, honoured him as the occasion required and said:

Verse 2 (5.21.2)

दिष्ट्या कुशलिनः सर्वे सह दामोदरेण ते । दिष्ट्या सहायवन्तश्च दिष्ट्या धर्मे च ते रताः ॥

diṣṭyā kuśalinaḥ sarve saha dāmodareṇa te | diṣṭyā sahāyavantaśca diṣṭyā dharme ca te ratāḥ

It is good fortune that they are all well, together with Damodara; good fortune that they have allies; and good fortune that they hold fast to dharma.

Verse 3 (5.21.3)

दिष्ट्या च सन्धिकामास्ते भ्रातरः कुरुनन्दनाः । दिष्ट्या न युद्धमनसः पाण्डवाः सह बान्धवैः ॥

diṣṭyā ca sandhikāmāste bhrātaraḥ kurunandanāḥ | diṣṭyā na yuddhamanasaḥ pāṇḍavāḥ saha bāndhavaiḥ

It is good fortune that those brothers, the joy of the Kurus, desire peace; good fortune that the Pandavas and their kinsmen are not bent on war.

Note on the text: Corrected दिष्टा → दिष्ट्या (misprint in Wikisource; dropped य, cf. the same word in vv. 2–3 and CE diṣṭyā).

Verse 4 (5.21.4)

भवता सत्यमुक्तं तु सर्वमेतन्न संशयः । अतितीक्ष्णं तु ते वाक्यं ब्राह्मण्यादिति मे मतिः ॥

bhavatā satyamuktaṃ tu sarvametanna saṃśayaḥ | atitīkṣṇaṃ tu te vākyaṃ brāhmaṇyāditi me matiḥ

All that you have said is true, there is no doubt of it. But your words are very sharp — because you are a brahmin, I think.

Verse 5 (5.21.5)

असंशयं क्लेशितास्ते वने चेह च पाण्डवाः । प्राप्ताश्च धर्मतः सर्वं पितुर्धनमसंशयम् ॥

asaṃśayaṃ kleśitāste vane ceha ca pāṇḍavāḥ | prāptāśca dharmataḥ sarvaṃ piturdhanamasaṃśayam

Without doubt the Pandavas were made to suffer, both in the forest and here; and without doubt all their father's wealth is theirs by right.

Note on the text: Corrected क्सेशितास्ते → क्लेशितास्ते (misprint in Wikisource; स for ल, CE kleśitās).

Verse 6 (5.21.6)

किरीटी बलवान्पार्थः कृतास्त्रश्च महारथः । को हि पाण्डुसुतं युद्धे विषहेत धनञ्जयम् ॥

kirīṭī balavānpārthaḥ kṛtāstraśca mahārathaḥ | ko hi pāṇḍusutaṃ yuddhe viṣaheta dhanañjayam

Partha, the diadem-wearer, is mighty, a great chariot-warrior and master of weapons. Who could withstand Dhananjaya, son of Pandu, in battle?

Note on the text: Corrected किरीटि → किरीटी (misprint in Wikisource; the nominative needs the long ī, CE kirīṭī).

Verse 7 (5.21.7)

अपि वज्रधरः साक्षात्किमुतान्ये धनुर्भृतः । त्रयाणामपि लोकानां समर्थ इति मे मतिः ॥

api vajradharaḥ sākṣātkimutānye dhanurbhṛtaḥ | trayāṇāmapi lokānāṃ samartha iti me matiḥ

Not even the wielder of the thunderbolt himself — how much less other bowmen! He is a match for all three worlds, in my view.

Verse 8 (5.21.8)

भीष्मे ब्रुवति तद्वाक्यं धृष्टमाक्षिप्य मन्युना । दुर्योधनं समालोक्य कर्णो वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

bhīṣme bruvati tadvākyaṃ dhṛṣṭamākṣipya manyunā | duryodhanaṃ samālokya karṇo vacanamabravīt

While Bhishma was saying this, Karna angrily and insolently cut him short, and with a glance at Duryodhana he said:

Verse 9 (5.21.9)

न तत्राविदितं ब्रह्मँल्लोके भूतेन केनचित् । पुनरुक्तेन किं तेन भाषितेन पुनः पुनः ॥

na tatrāviditaṃ brahmam̐lloke bhūtena kenacit | punaruktena kiṃ tena bhāṣitena punaḥ punaḥ

O brahmin, there is no one in the world who does not know all this. What is gained by repeating it over and over?

Verse 10 (5.21.10)

दुर्योधनार्थे शकुनिर्द्यूते निर्जितवान्पुरा । समयेन गतोऽरण्यं पाण्डुपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ॥

duryodhanārthe śakunirdyūte nirjitavānpurā | samayena gato'raṇyaṃ pāṇḍuputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Long ago Shakuni won at dice on Duryodhana's behalf, and by the terms of the wager Yudhishthira, son of Pandu, went to the forest.

Verse 11 (5.21.11)

स तं समयमाश्रित्य राज्यं नेच्छति पैतृकम् । बलमाश्रित्य मत्स्यानां पाञ्चालानां च मूर्खवत् ॥

sa taṃ samayamāśritya rājyaṃ necchati paitṛkam | balamāśritya matsyānāṃ pāñcālānāṃ ca mūrkhavat

He does not seek his ancestral kingdom by keeping to that compact; like a fool, he leans on the strength of the Matsyas and the Panchalas.

Verse 12 (5.21.12)

दुर्योधनो भयाद्विद्वन्न दद्यात्पादमन्ततः । धर्मतस्तु महीं कृत्स्नां प्रदद्याच्छत्रवेऽपि च ॥

duryodhano bhayādvidvanna dadyātpādamantataḥ | dharmatastu mahīṃ kṛtsnāṃ pradadyācchatrave'pi ca

Out of fear, learned one, Duryodhana would not give up even a foot of ground in the end; but in accordance with dharma he would give the whole earth even to an enemy.

Verse 13 (5.21.13)

यदि काङ्क्षन्ति ते राज्यं पितृपैतामहं पुनः । यथाप्रतिज्ञं कालं तं चरन्तु वनमाश्रिताः ॥

yadi kāṅkṣanti te rājyaṃ pitṛpaitāmahaṃ punaḥ | yathāpratijñaṃ kālaṃ taṃ carantu vanamāśritāḥ

If they want their ancestral kingdom back, let them go to the forest and live there again for the period they pledged.

Verse 14 (5.21.14)

ततो दुर्योधनस्याङ्के वर्तन्तामकुतोभयाः । अधार्मिकीं तु मा बुद्धिं मौर्ख्यात्कुर्वन्तु केवलात् ॥

tato duryodhanasyāṅke vartantāmakutobhayāḥ | adhārmikīṃ tu mā buddhiṃ maurkhyātkurvantu kevalāt

After that let them live under Duryodhana's protection, free from all fear. But let them not, out of sheer folly, set their minds on what is against dharma.

Verse 15 (5.21.15)

अथ ते धर्ममुत्सृज्य युद्धमिच्छन्ति पाण्डवाः । आसाद्येमान्कुरुश्रेष्ठान्स्मरिष्यन्ति वचो मम ॥

atha te dharmamutsṛjya yuddhamicchanti pāṇḍavāḥ | āsādyemānkuruśreṣṭhānsmariṣyanti vaco mama

If instead the Pandavas abandon dharma and want war, they will remember my words when they come up against these best of the Kurus.

Note on the text: Corrected उत्सृत्य → उत्सृज्य (misprint in Wikisource; the absolutive of सृज्, CE utsṛjya).

Verse 16 (5.21.16)

किं नु राधेय वाचा ते कर्म तत्स्मर्तुमर्हसि । एक एव यदा पार्थः षड्रथाञ्जितवान्युधि ॥

kiṃ nu rādheya vācā te karma tatsmartumarhasi | eka eva yadā pārthaḥ ṣaḍrathāñjitavānyudhi

What use are words, son of Radha? You ought to remember that deed, when Partha alone defeated six chariot-warriors in battle.

Verse 17 (5.21.17)

विराटनगरे धीरः किं त्वं तत्रैव नागतः । बहुशो जीयमानस्य कर्म दृष्टं तदैव ते ॥

virāṭanagare dhīraḥ kiṃ tvaṃ tatraiva nāgataḥ | bahuśo jīyamānasya karma dṛṣṭaṃ tadaiva te

In Virata's city, bold as you are, why did you not stand up to him there? Your prowess was seen right then, as you were beaten again and again.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki quote marks (` and ') around the first line. Not in the critical edition's main text: the two lines are its star passages 5.21.16d*0121_01 (first line) and *0120_01 (second line), found in the vulgate recension.

Verse 18 (5.21.18)

न चेदेवं करिष्यामो यदयं ब्राह्मणोऽब्रवीत् । ध्रुवं युधि हतास्तेन भक्षयिष्याम पांसुकान् । दुर्योधनः सहामात्यो विनङ्क्ष्यति न संशयः ॥

na cedevaṃ kariṣyāmo yadayaṃ brāhmaṇo'bravīt | dhruvaṃ yudhi hatāstena bhakṣayiṣyāma pāṃsukān | duryodhanaḥ sahāmātyo vinaṅkṣyati na saṃśayaḥ

If we do not do what this brahmin has said, surely we shall be slain by him in battle and shall bite the dust. Duryodhana will perish along with his ministers, there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Verse division follows the page's own verse-end marks: Wikisource closes 18b with a single danda and ends the next line (numbered 19a, printed before the वैशंपायन heading) with a double danda, so that line completes this verse of Bhishma's; the input had joined it to the narration of v. 19. Removed a stray wiki quote mark (`) before it. That third line is not in the critical edition's main text: it is its star passage 5.21.17d*0122_01 (vulgate).

Verse 19 (5.21.19)

धृतराष्ट्रस्ततो भीष्ममनुमान्य प्रसाद्य च । अवभर्त्स्य च राधेयमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭrastato bhīṣmamanumānya prasādya ca | avabhartsya ca rādheyamidaṃ vacanamabravīt

Then Dhritarashtra deferred to Bhishma and placated him, rebuked the son of Radha, and said:

Note on the text: Split at the वैशंपायन heading printed mid-verse on the Wikisource page (lines 19b–c); the preceding line 19a closes Bhishma's v. 18. Matches CE 5.21.18.

Verse 20 (5.21.20)

अस्मद्धितं वाक्यमिदं भीष्मः शान्तनवोऽब्रवीत् । पाण्डवानां हितं चैव सर्वस्य जगतस्तथा ॥

asmaddhitaṃ vākyamidaṃ bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo'bravīt | pāṇḍavānāṃ hitaṃ caiva sarvasya jagatastathā

Bhishma, son of Shantanu, has spoken words that are for our good, for the good of the Pandavas, and for the good of the whole world as well.

Verse 21 (5.21.21)

चिन्तयित्वा तु पार्थेभ्यः प्रेषयिष्यामि सञ्जयम् । स भवान्प्रतियात्वद्य पाण्डवानेव माचिरम् ॥

cintayitvā tu pārthebhyaḥ preṣayiṣyāmi sañjayam | sa bhavānpratiyātvadya pāṇḍavāneva māciram

After due thought I shall send Sanjaya to the Parthas. You, sir, return to the Pandavas today, without delay.

Verse 22 (5.21.22)

स तं सत्कृत्य कौरव्यः प्रेषयामास पाण्डवान् । सभामध्ये समाहूय सञ्जयं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥

sa taṃ satkṛtya kauravyaḥ preṣayāmāsa pāṇḍavān | sabhāmadhye samāhūya sañjayaṃ vākyamabravīt

The Kaurava king honoured the priest and sent him back to the Pandavas. Then he summoned Sanjaya into the midst of the assembly and spoke to him.