The names of Parvas six through nine of the Mahabharata are easy enough to remember. They are each named after the commander of the Kaurava army during the eighteen day war - Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Shalya. Bhishma Parva then is the name of the sixth parva in the Mahabharata, and it covers the first ten days of the war. More pertinently, the sixty third parva of the Mahabharata, which is the third parva in the Bhishma Parva, is the Bhagavad Gita parva - which contains the song of the lord. I have not included quotes from that parva in this post. That needs to go into a separate post of its own. Here then are selected quotes from the Bhishma Parva.
[Jambukhanda-vinirmana Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 1]
"Those engaged in a war of words would be countered with words. Those who had withdrawn from the midst of battle should not be killed under any circumstances."
[The Pandavas, Kauravas, and Somakas decide the rules of battle, Jambukhanda-vinirmana Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 1]
"'There is no doubt that time destroys the universe. It again creates the worlds. There is nothing that is eternal.'"
[Vyasa to Dhritarashtra, Jambukhanda-vinirmana Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 4]
"The number of soldiers does not ensure victory. ... Even those who are victorious in battle, have to suffer losses."
[Vyasa to Dhritarashtra, Jambukhanda-vinirmana Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 4]
"O father! We are inviting you to fight with us. O father! Grant us the permission. Give us the blessing."
[Yudhishtra to Bhishma, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"The kouravyas have robbed me through wealth."
[Bhishna to Yudhishtra, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"The time for my death has not arrived. Come to me again later."
[Bhishma to Yudhishtra, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"As long as I am fighting in battle, you cannot be victorious."
[Drona to Yudhishtra, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"Except when I am ready for death and have withdrawn myself from weapons any my senses, no warrior can kill me in battle."
[Drona to Yudhishtra, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"I am incapable of being slain."
[Kripa to Yudhishtra, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"Until Bhishma ha been killed, come over to our side. O Radheya! If you perceive both sides to be equal, after Bhishma has been killed, go and fight again and help Dhritarashtra's son."
[Krishna to Karna, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"He who chooses us, will be regarded by us an aide."
[Yudhishtra to Kaurava army, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 41]
"The son did not recognize the father, or the father the son born from his loins. A brother did not recognize a brother there, nor a sister's son his maternal uncle."
[Fighting starts on Day 1, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 44]
"I see Savyasachi stationed in battle, as if he was a neutral spectator. Bhima alone remembers the dharma of kshatriyas."
[Yudhishtra to Krishna, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 46]
"Driven by the desire to kill, the warriors could not distinguish between their own and those of the enemy."
[Fighting on Day 2, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 50]
"He was like Yama at the time of destruction and confounded them. Only the foolish ones roared and advanced towards him."
[Bhima on Day 2, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 50]
"He killed some with his legs. He brought down others and pressed them down. He beheaded some with his sword and frightened others with his roars. The force of his thighs brought down others down on the ground. Others fled on seeing him, dying out of terror."
[Bhima on Day 2, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 50]
"The dust that had arisen from the ground settled down because of the blood from the battle."
[Fighting on Day 3, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 53]
"Because of the warriors who had been brought down in battle, chariots could not find a path there."
[Fighting on Day 3, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 55]
"In that battle, he saw that Bhishma was exerting all his powers, that Partha was mild and that the Kurus were advancing from every direction."
[Krishna on Day 3, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 55]
"Nothing was accomplished because of mantras and nothing was caused by maya."
[Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra after the fighting of day 3, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva]
"The water of Ganga, the river of the gods, is sweet. But when it merges into the great ocean, it attains the quality of salinity. O king! The manliness of the great-souled ones on your side is like that. When they confront the brave sons of Pandu in battle, they obtain no success."
[Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra, day 7, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 79]
"If you protect the Pandavas because of compassion, because of your hatred of me, or because of my misfortune, then I seek your permission to allow Karna, the ornament of any battle, to fight."
[Duryodhana to Bhishma, after the battle of day 8, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 93]
"O Kountey! As long as I am alive in battle, your prosperity will never be seen."
[Bhishma to Arjuna, 9th night, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 103]
"I will sleep after being slain, or I will kill the Pandavas today. ... I will today free myself from the great debt I owe you. O king! You offered me food as my master."
[Bhishma to Duryodhana, day 10, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 105]
"They have been shot in a continuos stream. These cannot be Shikhandi's arrows. They have penetrated my firm armour and have mangled my inner organs. They have struck me with the force of clubs. These cannot be Shikhandi's arrows."
[Bhishma, Day 10, Bhishma-Vadha Parva, Bhishma Parva, Ch 114]
Quotes from earlier Parvas:
Adi,
Sabha,
Aranyaka,
Virata,
Udyog
© 2013, Abhinav Agarwal (अà¤िनव अग्रवाल). All rights reserved.
The names of Parvas six through nine of the Mahabharata are easy enough to remember. They are each named after the commander of the Kaurava army during the eighteen day war - Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Shalya. Bhishma Parva then is the name of the sixth parva in the Mahabharata, and it covers the first ten days of the war. More pertinently, the sixty third parva of the Mahabharata, which is the third parva in the Bhishma Parva, is the Bhagavad Gita parva - which contains the song of the lord. I have not included quotes from that parva in this post. That needs to go into a separate post of its own. Here then are selected quotes from the Bhishma Parva.