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Bhishma Parva


The Bhishma Parva (Sanskrit: भीष्म पर्व), or the Book of Bhishma, is the sixth of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. Bhishma Parva has 4 sub-books and 124 chapters.

Bhishma Parva describes the first 10 days of the 18-day Kurukshetra War, and its consequences. It recites the story of Bhishma, the commander in chief of the Kaurava armies, who is fatally injured and can no longer lead as the commander.

This book of Mahabharata includes the widely studied Bhagavad gita, sometimes referred to as Gita, or The Song of the Lord, or The Celestial Song. Bhagavadgita chapters describe Arjuna's questioning the purpose of war, ultimate effects of violence and the meaning of life. Arjuna's doubts and metaphysical questions are answered by Krishna. Other treatises in Bhishma parva include the Just war theory in ancient India, as well as strategies of war and troop deployment.This book describes the deaths of Uttarā kumarā (brother-in-law of Abhimanyu and brother of Uttara (wife of Abhimanyu), Vrishasena (Elder son of Karna) and Bhishma respectively on 1st, 3rd and 10th days of the war.

This Parva (book) has 4 sub-parvas (sub-books or little books) and 124 adhyayas (sections, chapters). The following are the sub-parvas:

Bhishma Parva was composed in Sanskrit. Several translations of the book in English are available. Two translations from 19th century, now in public domain, are those by Kisari Mohan Ganguli and Manmatha Nath Dutt. The translations vary with each translator's interpretations.

Clay Sanskrit Library has published a 15 volume set of the Mahabharata which includes a translation of Bhishma Parva by Alex Cherniak. This translation is modern and uses an old manuscript of the Epic. The translation does not remove verses and chapters now widely believed to be spurious and smuggled into the Epic in 1st or 2nd millennium AD.


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