Bhishma Parva (The Book of Bhishma)

Summary

The Bhishma Parva is the sixth book of the Mahabharata and is arguably the most significant as it contains the **Bhagavad Gita**. It covers the first ten days of the great Kurukshetra War, where the patriarch Bhishma leads the Kaurava army.

The parva begins with the armies arrayed for battle. Seeing his kinsmen across the lines, Arjuna is overcome with grief and refuses to fight. Lord Krishna then delivers the eternal wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, teaching him about duty (Dharma), the nature of the soul, and devotion. The war commences, and Bhishma fights valiantly, decimating the Pandava forces. The narrative describes fierce duels and the complex dynamics of the war. On the ninth day, Krishna, frustrated by Bhishma's invincibility, rushes to attack him with a chariot wheel, though he had vowed not to wield a weapon. Finally, on the tenth day, Arjuna, using Shikhandi as a shield (since Bhishma would not fight a woman/transgender person), pierces Bhishma with innumerable arrows. Bhishma falls but does not die, lying on a bed of arrows (Sharashayya) to wait for the auspicious time of Uttarayana to leave his body.

Key Events

• The delivery of the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna to Arjuna.
• Yudhishthira seeking permission and blessings from the elders before the war.
• The beginning of the 18-day Kurukshetra War.
• Bhishma's terrible prowess as the Commander-in-Chief.
• Krishna breaking his vow and rushing to attack Bhishma with a chariot wheel.
• The Pandavas seeking Bhishma's advice on how to defeat him.
• Arjuna using Shikhandi as a shield to attack Bhishma.
• The fall of Bhishma on the 10th day.
• Bhishma lying on the bed of arrows (Sharashayya).
• Karna entering the battlefield after Bhishma's fall.