Bhishma Parva Summary: The First Ten Days of the War

Quick answer: The Bhishma Parva is the sixth of the eighteen books of the Mahabharata. It describes the start of the Kurukshetra war and its first ten days, when Bhishma commanded the Kaurava army. It contains the Bhagavad Gita, which Krishna teaches Arjuna just before the fighting begins. The book ends on the tenth day, when Arjuna, with Shikhandi in front of him, brings Bhishma down; Bhishma lies on a bed of arrows to wait for the sun's northward turn before he dies.

In the critical edition of the Mahabharata (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune), the Bhishma Parva has 117 chapters. References below are book.chapter.verse in that edition.

How the book is told

The war is reported to the blind king Dhritarashtra by his charioteer Sanjaya. Before the battle, Vyasa offered Dhritarashtra sight to watch it; he declined, and Vyasa gave Sanjaya a divine eye instead, so that he could see everything on the field, even men's thoughts (6.2.6 to 10).

The book is told out of order. It opens with a description of the world (the Jambukhanda and Bhumi sections, 6.1 to 6.13). Then, on the tenth day, Sanjaya comes to Dhritarashtra with the news that Bhishma has fallen (6.14), and the king asks to hear how it happened. Everything that follows, including the Gita and the ten days of battle, is Sanjaya's account told back from that moment.

The Bhagavad Gita

As the armies face each other, Arjuna asks Krishna, his charioteer, to drive between them. Seeing his grandfather, teacher and kinsmen ranged against him, he puts down his bow and refuses to fight. Krishna's reply over eighteen chapters is the Bhagavad Gita (6.23 to 6.40 in the critical edition; usually printed as chapters 1 to 18). See the Bhagavad Gita guide.

Before the first arrow

After the Gita, Yudhishthira took off his armour, put down his weapons and walked on foot across to the Kaurava lines. He bowed to Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Shalya and asked their permission and blessing to fight. Each blessed him and wished him victory (6.41).

The ten days in brief

• Day 1. The Kauravas have the better of the day. Virata's son Uttara is killed by Shalya (6.45), and Bhishma drives the Pandava army back until nightfall.
• Day 3. Seeing Arjuna hold back against Bhishma, Krishna leaps from the chariot with his discus to kill Bhishma himself. Arjuna runs after him and stops him at the tenth step, promising to fight in earnest (6.55.86 to 98).
• Day 8. Iravan, Arjuna's son by the naga princess Ulupi, is killed by a rakshasa fighting for the Kauravas (6.86.70).
• Day 9. Bhishma is unstoppable. Krishna again jumps down, this time with his whip in hand, and rushes at him (6.102). That night the Pandavas go to Bhishma's tent and ask him how he can be defeated. He tells them he will not fight Shikhandi, who was born a woman, and that with Shikhandi in front Arjuna can strike him (6.103.77 to 100).
• Day 10. Arjuna attacks with Shikhandi before him. Bhishma will not shoot back at Shikhandi, and Arjuna's arrows bring him down. He falls with so many arrows in his body that he does not touch the ground (6.114).

The bed of arrows

Bhishma fell while the sun was in its southern course. Because he had the boon of choosing the time of his death, he decided to wait for the sun to turn north, uttarayana (6.114.88 to 89). Both armies stopped fighting and gathered around him. When he asked for a pillow, he refused the soft ones the kings brought; Arjuna propped up his head with three arrows (6.115.32 to 42). When he asked for water, Arjuna shot an arrow into the ground and a stream rose to his mouth (6.116). Bhishma urged Duryodhana once more to make peace with the Pandavas (6.116.40 to 41), and was refused. Karna came to ask his blessing, and Bhishma told him he knew from Narada that Karna was Kunti's son (6.117.9).

Bhishma lived on through the rest of the war and taught Yudhishthira in the Shanti and Anushasana Parvas before he died. See Bhishma in the Mahabharata.

What comes next

With Bhishma down, Drona took command, and the story moves to the Drona Parva and the thirteenth-day trap of the chakravyuha.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bhishma Parva?

The sixth book of the Mahabharata, covering the first ten days of the Kurukshetra war.

Is the Bhagavad Gita in the Bhishma Parva?

Yes, chapters 6.23 to 6.40 of the critical edition.

How did Bhishma fall?

Arjuna shot him with Shikhandi in front, since Bhishma would not fight Shikhandi (6.103, 6.114).

How many chapters does the Bhishma Parva have?

117 in the critical edition.

Why did Bhishma wait on the bed of arrows?

To die when the sun had turned north, uttarayana (6.114.88 to 89).

Related reading

• Mahabharata: The Complete Guide
• Mahabharata story summary
• Bhishma in the Mahabharata
• Arjuna in the Mahabharata

Sources

1. The Mahabharata, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, 1933 to 1966); electronic text BORI 1999, via Indology: indology.info/bombay/mahabharata. References are book.chapter.verse in this edition.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.