Bhishma Parva

It recites the story of Bhishma, the commander in chief of the Kauravan armies, who is fatally injured and loses his ability to lead.

Chapters of the Bhagavad Gita describe Arjuna's questioning of the purpose of war, the ultimate effects of violence, and the meaning of life.

Rishi Veda Vyasa, the grandfather to both Kauravas and Pandavas, offers the gift of sight to King Dhritarashtra – who is blind – so he can foresee the tragedy about to unfold.

Arjuna apologizes for not being able to recognize him as divine, and for the disrespect he had shown, if he had said anything carelessly in the past, and regards Krishna as a friend.

Yudhishthira, with his brothers, meets and bows before the enemy generals and their preceptors—Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, and Shalya—one by one, to seek their permission and blessings to fight them to the death.

In that fierce combat, the mighty Bhishma aims many low-level, air-borne celestial weapons at Abhimanyu, who is then protected by ten great bowmen and car-warriors, with Bhima, Dhrishtadyumna, and Satyaki among them.

Bhishma shows his terrible prowess by showering arrows upon Abhimanyu, Arjuna, Virata, Dhrishtadyumna, and many others, and causes the mighty array of the Pandavas to waver.

Then Arjuna, beholding Bhishma annihilating his host, angrily tells Krishna to proceed to that place where the grandsire is, to slay him.

Sanjaya comments about who else saves Bhishma, Drona, and Karna are capable of advancing in the battle against the bearer of Gandiva and have a chance against him.

[13] Arjuna was not fighting a war with all his power, because his wish was not to hurt his beloved grandsire, so the duel lasts for a long time, with neither of them vanquishing the other.

Then, Arjuna, invoking the wonderful and terrible Mahendra weapon and causing it to appear in the sky, showers arrows on the Kaurava host.

Pandava's army celebrates their victory and praises Arjuna for achieving the feat of slaying more than 10,000 warriors in that day's battle.

Satyaki invokes the Aindra weapon in the air, which he had obtained from his preceptor Arjuna, which destroys demoniacal illusion, and afflicts Alamvusha, making him flee in fear.

[3] Dhrishtadyumna battles the royal son Duryodhana, and, excited with wrath, cuts off his bow, slays his steeds, and pierces him.

Dharma's son sends a large army—with Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Satyaki, Drupada, and Virata among them—against Bhishma alone, from the desire to slay him.

Drona slaughters a large part of the army from here; and Bhima, excited with wrath, causes a terrible carnage among the Kauravas and their elephant divisions.

Bhishma, slaying the Pandavas army, causes them to tremble; and Drona, too, afflicts enemy forces, making Arjuna wonder.

Hearing the elephant roar, Bhishma sends a large army—with Jayadratha, Bhurisravas, Shalya, Ashvatthama, and Vikarna among it—to aid them.

King Duryodhana, excited with wrath, rushes towards Bhima, cuts off his bow, and, seeing an opportunity, deeply pierces him, injuring him.

Filled with wrath, he slays many Rakshasa, which enrages the giant Ghatotkacha, who uses his extraordinary powers of illusion, confounding all in that place, making them see each other cut, slain, and bathed in blood.

Bhagadatta resists all but is deeply pierced and exceedingly pained by their attack that elephant, speedily turned back, and flees, crushing Pandava ranks.

Duryodhana and Dushasana go to Bhishma and ask him either slay the brave sons of Pandu or permit Karna to fight, as he will vanquish the Pandava in battle.

Krishna, filled with anger and scolding Arjuna for not fighting wholeheartedly, jumps down from the car and rushes towards Bhishma, whip in hand, desirous of slaying him.

Bhishma suggests that the Pandavas should place Shikhandi in front of Arjuna, as he has taken an oath to never fight anyone who was once female; they should then destroy his weapons, only then, can they kill him.

Rishis and Vasus appear to talk with him, and no one heard the words spoken by them, save Bhishma and Sanjaya, by Vyasa's grace.

The valiant Arjuna, stretching his Gandiva, fires the Parjanya weapon in the very sight of entire army, which pierces the earth, bringing forth a jet of water.

The Clay Sanskrit Library has published a 15 volume set of the Mahabharata, which includes a translation of Bhishma Parva by Alex Cherniak.

The translation does not remove verses and chapters now widely believed to be spurious and smuggled into the Epic in the 1st or 2nd millennium AD.

[9] Debroy, in 2011, notes that the updated critical edition of Bhishma Parva, with so-far-known spurious and corrupted text removed, has 4 parts, 117 adhyayas (chapters) and 5,381 shlokas (verses).

[9] The Jamvukhanda Vinirmana sub-parva of Bhishma Parva is one of the several instances in the Mahabharata that provides an outline of just war theory in ancient India.