Chapter 96

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
hate citrāṅgade bhīṣmo bāle bhrātari cānagha |
pālayāmāsa tadrājyaṃ satyavatyā mate sthitaḥ || 1 ||
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saṃprāptayauvanaṃ paśyanbhrātaraṃ dhīmatāṃ varam |
bhīṣmo vicitravīryasya vivāhāyākaronmatim || 2 ||
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atha kāśipaterbhīṣmaḥ kanyāstisro'psaraḥsamāḥ |
śuśrāva sahitā rājanvṛṇvatīrvai svayaṃ varam || 3 ||
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tataḥ sa rathināṃ śreṣṭho rathenaikena varmabhṛt |
jagāmānumate mātuḥ purīṃ vārāṇasīṃ prati || 4 ||
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tatra rājñaḥ samuditānsarvataḥ samupāgatān |
dadarśa kanyāstāścaiva bhīṣmaḥ śaṃtanunandanaḥ || 5 ||
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kīrtyamāneṣu rājñāṃ tu nāmasvatha sahasraśaḥ |
bhīṣmaḥ svayaṃ tadā rājanvarayāmāsa tāḥ prabhuḥ || 6 ||
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uvāca ca mahīpālānrājañjaladaniḥsvanaḥ |
rathamāropya tāḥ kanyā bhīṣmaḥ praharatāṃ varaḥ || 7 ||
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āhūya dānaṃ kanyānāṃ guṇavadbhyaḥ smṛtaṃ budhaiḥ |
alaṃkṛtya yathāśakti pradāya ca dhanānyapi || 8 ||
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prayacchantyapare kanyāṃ mithunena gavāmapi |
vittena kathitenānye balenānye'numānya ca || 9 ||
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pramattāmupayāntyanye svayamanye ca vindate |
aṣṭamaṃ tamatho vitta vivāhaṃ kavibhiḥ smṛtam || 10 ||
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svayaṃvaraṃ tu rājanyāḥ praśaṃsantyupayānti ca |
pramathya tu hṛtāmāhurjyāyasīṃ dharmavādinaḥ || 11 ||
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tā imāḥ pṛthivīpālā jihīrṣāmi balāditaḥ |
te yatadhvaṃ paraṃ śaktyā vijayāyetarāya vā |
sthito'haṃ pṛthivīpālā yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ || 12 ||
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evamuktvā mahīpālānkāśirājaṃ ca vīryavān |
sarvāḥ kanyāḥ sa kauravyo rathamāropayatsvakam |
āmantrya ca sa tānprāyācchīghraṃ kanyāḥ pragṛhya tāḥ || 13 ||
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tataste pārthivāḥ sarve samutpeturamarṣitāḥ |
saṃspṛśantaḥ svakānbāhūndaśanto daśanacchadān || 14 ||
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teṣāmābharaṇānyāśu tvaritānāṃ vimuñcatām |
āmuñcatāṃ ca varmāṇi saṃbhramaḥ sumahānabhūt || 15 ||
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tārāṇāmiva saṃpāto babhūva janamejaya |
bhūṣaṇānāṃ ca śubhrāṇāṃ kavacānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ || 16 ||
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savarmabhirbhūṣaṇaiste drāgbhrājadbhiritastataḥ |
sakrodhāmarṣajihmabhrūsakaṣāyadṛśastathā || 17 ||
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sūtopakḷptānrucirānsadaśvodyatadhūrgatān |
rathānāsthāya te vīrāḥ sarvapraharaṇānvitāḥ |
prayāntamekaṃ kauravyamanusasrurudāyudhāḥ || 18 ||
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tataḥ samabhavadyuddhaṃ teṣāṃ tasya ca bhārata |
ekasya ca bahūnāṃ ca tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam || 19 ||
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te tviṣūndaśasāhasrāṃstasmai yugapadākṣipan |
aprāptāṃścaiva tānāśu bhīṣmaḥ sarvāṃstadācchinat || 20 ||
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tataste pārthivāḥ sarve sarvataḥ parivārayan |
vavarṣuḥ śaravarṣeṇa varṣeṇevādrimambudāḥ || 21 ||
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sa tadbāṇamayaṃ varṣaṃ śarairāvārya sarvataḥ |
tataḥ sarvānmahīpālānpratyavidhyattribhistribhiḥ || 22 ||
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tasyāti puruṣānanyāṃllāghavaṃ rathacāriṇaḥ |
rakṣaṇaṃ cātmanaḥ saṃkhye śatravo'pyabhyapūjayan || 23 ||
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tānvinirjitya tu raṇe sarvaśastraviśāradaḥ |
kanyābhiḥ sahitaḥ prāyādbhārato bhāratānprati || 24 ||
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tatastaṃ pṛṣṭhato rājañśālvarājo mahārathaḥ |
abhyāhanadameyātmā bhīṣmaṃ śāṃtanavaṃ raṇe || 25 ||
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vāraṇaṃ jaghane nighnandantābhyāmaparo yathā |
vāśitāmanusaṃprāpto yūthapo balināṃ varaḥ || 26 ||
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strīkāma tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti bhīṣmamāha sa pārthivaḥ |
śālvarājo mahābāhuramarṣeṇābhicoditaḥ || 27 ||
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tataḥ sa puruṣavyāghro bhīṣmaḥ parabalārdanaḥ |
tadvākyākulitaḥ krodhādvidhūmo'gniriva jvalan || 28 ||
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kṣatradharmaṃ samāsthāya vyapetabhayasaṃbhramaḥ |
nivartayāmāsa rathaṃ śālvaṃ prati mahārathaḥ || 29 ||
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nivartamānaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā rājānaḥ sarva eva te |
prekṣakāḥ samapadyanta bhīṣmaśālvasamāgame || 30 ||
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tau vṛṣāviva nardantau balinau vāśitāntare |
anyonyamabhivartetāṃ balavikramaśālinau || 31 ||
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tato bhīṣmaṃ śāṃtanavaṃ śaraiḥ śatasahasraśaḥ |
śālvarājo naraśreṣṭhaḥ samavākiradāśugaiḥ || 32 ||
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pūrvamabhyarditaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīṣmaṃ śālvena te nṛpāḥ |
vismitāḥ samapadyanta sādhu sādhviti cābruvan || 33 ||
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lāghavaṃ tasya te dṛṣṭvā saṃyuge sarvapārthivāḥ |
apūjayanta saṃhṛṣṭā vāgbhiḥ śālvaṃ narādhipāḥ || 34 ||
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kṣatriyāṇāṃ tadā vācaḥ śrutvā parapuraṃjayaḥ |
kruddhaḥ śāṃtanavo bhīṣmastiṣṭha tiṣṭhetyabhāṣata || 35 ||
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sārathiṃ cābravītkruddho yāhi yatraiṣa pārthivaḥ |
yāvadenaṃ nihanmyadya bhujaṃgamiva pakṣirāṭ || 36 ||
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tato'straṃ vāruṇaṃ samyagyojayāmāsa kauravaḥ |
tenāśvāṃścaturo'mṛdnācchālvarājño narādhipa || 37 ||
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astrairastrāṇi saṃvārya śālvarājñaḥ sa kauravaḥ |
bhīṣmo nṛpatiśārdūla nyavadhīttasya sārathim |
astreṇa cāpyathaikena nyavadhītturagottamān || 38 ||
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kanyāhetornaraśreṣṭha bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavastadā |
jitvā visarjayāmāsa jīvantaṃ nṛpasattamam |
tataḥ śālvaḥ svanagaraṃ prayayau bharatarṣabha || 39 ||
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rājāno ye ca tatrāsansvayaṃvaradidṛkṣavaḥ |
svānyeva te'pi rāṣṭrāṇi jagmuḥ parapuraṃjaya || 40 ||
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evaṃ vijitya tāḥ kanyā bhīṣmaḥ praharatāṃ varaḥ |
prayayau hāstinapuraṃ yatra rājā sa kauravaḥ || 41 ||
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so'cireṇaiva kālena atyakrāmannarādhipa |
vanāni saritaścaiva śailāṃśca vividhadrumān || 42 ||
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akṣataḥ kṣapayitvārīnsaṃkhye'saṃkhyeyavikramaḥ |
ānayāmāsa kāśyasya sutāḥ sāgaragāsutaḥ || 43 ||
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snuṣā iva sa dharmātmā bhaginya iva cānujāḥ |
yathā duhitaraścaiva pratigṛhya yayau kurūn || 44 ||
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tāḥ sarvā guṇasaṃpannā bhrātā bhrātre yavīyase |
bhīṣmo vicitravīryāya pradadau vikramāhṛtāḥ || 45 ||
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satāṃ dharmeṇa dharmajñaḥ kṛtvā karmātimānuṣam |
bhrāturvicitravīryasya vivāhāyopacakrame |
satyavatyā saha mithaḥ kṛtvā niścayamātmavān || 46 ||
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vivāhaṃ kārayiṣyantaṃ bhīṣmaṃ kāśipateḥ sutā |
jyeṣṭhā tāsāmidaṃ vākyamabravīddha satī tadā || 47 ||
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mayā saubhapatiḥ pūrvaṃ manasābhivṛtaḥ patiḥ |
tena cāsmi vṛtā pūrvameṣa kāmaśca me pituḥ || 48 ||
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mayā varayitavyo'bhūcchālvastasminsvayaṃvare |
etadvijñāya dharmajña tatastvaṃ dharmamācara || 49 ||
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evamuktastayā bhīṣmaḥ kanyayā viprasaṃsadi |
cintāmabhyagamadvīro yuktāṃ tasyaiva karmaṇaḥ || 50 ||
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sa viniścitya dharmajño brāhmaṇairvedapāragaiḥ |
anujajñe tadā jyeṣṭāmambāṃ kāśipateḥ sutām || 51 ||
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ambikāmbālike bhārye prādādbhrātre yavīyase |
bhīṣmo vicitravīryāya vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā || 52 ||
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tayoḥ pāṇiṃ gṛhītvā sa rūpayauvanadarpitaḥ |
vicitravīryo dharmātmā kāmātmā samapadyata || 53 ||
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te cāpi bṛhatī śyāme nīlakuñcitamūrdhaje |
raktatuṅganakhopete pīnaśroṇipayodhare || 54 ||
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ātmanaḥ pratirūpo'sau labdhaḥ patiriti sthite |
vicitravīryaṃ kalyāṇaṃ pūjayāmāsatustu te || 55 ||
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sa cāśvirūpasadṛśo devasattvaparākramaḥ |
sarvāsāmeva nārīṇāṃ cittapramathano'bhavat || 56 ||
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tābhyāṃ saha samāḥ sapta viharanpṛthivīpatiḥ |
vicitravīryastaruṇo yakṣmāṇaṃ samapadyata || 57 ||
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suhṛdāṃ yatamānānāmāptaiḥ saha cikitsakaiḥ |
jagāmāstamivādityaḥ kauravyo yamasādanam || 58 ||
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pretakāryāṇi sarvāṇi tasya samyagakārayat |
rājño vicitravīryasya satyavatyā mate sthitaḥ |
ṛtvigbhiḥ sahito bhīṣmaḥ sarvaiśca kurupuṃgavaiḥ || 59 ||
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