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(Fall of Bhishma)
All negotiations for a peaceful partition of the Kuru kingdom having failed,
both parties now prepared for a battle, perhaps the most sanguinary that was
fought on the plains of India in the ancient times. It was a battle of nations,
for all warlike races in Northern India took a share in it.
Duryodhan's army consisted of his own division, as well as the divisions of
ten allied kings. Each allied power is said to have brought one akshauhini
troops, and if we reduce this fabulous number to the moderate figure of ten
thousand, including horse and foot, cars and elephants, Duryodhan's army
including his own division was over a hundred thousand strong.
Yudhishthir had a smaller army, said to have been seven akshauhinis in number,
which we may by a similar reduction reckon to be seventy thousand. His
father-in-law the king of the Panchalas, and Arjun's relative the king of the
Matsyas, were his principal allies. Krishna joined him as his friend and
adviser, and as the charioteer of Arjun, but the Vrishnis as a nation had
joined Duryodhan.
When the two armies were drawn up in array and faced each other, and Arjun
saw his revered elders and dear friends and relations among his foes, he was
unwilling to fight. It was on this occasion that Krishna explained to him the
great principles of Duty in that memorable work called the Bhagavat-gita
which has been translated into so many European languages. Belief in one
Supreme Deity is the underlying thought of this work, and ever and anon, as
Professor Garbe remarks, "does Krishna revert to the doctrine that for
every man, no matter to what caste he may belong, the zealous performance of
his duty and the discharge of his obligations is his most important work."
Duryodhan chose the grand old fighter Bhishina as the commander-in-chief of
his army, and for ten days Bhishma held his own and inflicted serious loss on
Yudhishthir's army. The principal incidents of these ten days, ending with the
fall of Bhishma, are narrated in this Book.
This Book is an abridgment of Book vi. of the original text.
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