Bhūriśravas

Bhūriśravas was the son of Somadatta and the grandson of Bāhlīka. He belonged to the great Kuru family. People honoured him both as a scholar of the Vedas and as one of the best warriors of the Dvāpara Yuga.

He came to the Rājasūya of Yudhishṭhira and later fought on the Kaurava side at Kurukshetra. There Arjuna cut off his arm, and he died sitting in yoga. The Mahābhārata remembers him as a man of deep integrity whose end was sad.

Lineage and character

Bhūriśravas was the son of Somadatta and the grandson of Bāhlīka. He was a member of the great Kuru family, a cousin of Bhīshma’s lineage. His name means “he whose fame is great.”

The Sabhā Parva calls him a brāhmaṇa among kshatriyas. He joined warrior skill to Vedic learning and high standards of dharma. Among the kings at the Rājasūya, all sides respected his presence.

At the Rājasūya

He came to the Rājasūya of Yudhishṭhira at Indraprastha as part of the Kuru group. With him came Bhīshma, Droṇa, Dhṛtarāshṭra, Vidura, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāman, Jayadratha, Bāhlīka, Somadatta, Duryodhana, Karṇa, Śakuni and all the Kaurava princes. His presence stood for the best of the Kuru warrior and Vedic traditions.

At the dice game

The Dyūta Parva names Bhūriśravas together with Kṛtavarman among those who looked down in shame when Duḥśāsana tried to pull the clothes off Draupadī in the full assembly. Like Somadatta and others, he stayed silent out of distress, not agreement. He would later fight on the Kaurava side, yet he could not bear to watch what Duryodhana’s party did to the queen of the Pāṇḍavas.

The Kaurava battle formation

The Bhīshma Parva lists Bhūriśravas as one of seven senior mahārathas (great chariot-warriors) placed in front of Bhīshma’s division. Chapter 17 names him with Śrutāyudha, Citrasena, Purumitra, Viviṃśati, Śalya and Vikarṇa. All of them went before Bhīshma on chariots with golden banners.

Chapter 18 also places him in the centre of the battle array. There he stands with Jayadratha, Purumitra, Jaya, Śalva, and the Matsya and Kekaya warriors. This was the strongest core of the Kaurava force. He was also named among the guard (rakshaka sena) that protected Bhīshma himself.

The war under Bhīshma

Bhūriśravas fought well on all ten days of Bhīshma’s command. His best-known deed of this time came on Day 5 (Chapter 74). He killed all ten sons of Sātyaki in single combat. It was a heavy personal blow to the Pāṇḍava side. It also set the stage for the later meeting between the two warriors.

On Day 10, the Pāṇḍavas turned their strength to bring down Bhīshma. Bhūriśravas joined the Kaurava reply. He was one of seven senior Kaurava warriors who attacked Arjuna as he made his decisive advance. Droṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāman, Śalya and others were in this group. They tried to come between Arjuna and Bhīshma. He also moved to stop Bhīmasena, who was pushing hard through the Kaurava lines.

The war under Droṇa

In the Droṇa Parva, Bhūriśravas went on fighting as one of the main Kaurava mahārathas under Droṇācārya. The opening of the Droṇa Parva names him among the leading Kaurava heroes of those days.

He is counted among those who faced and wounded Abhimanyu inside the Cakravyūha. At one point he shot three arrows at the young hero. He also fought in the great battles of formation on later days. On the fourteenth day Duryodhana named him as one of six mahārathas who would guard the front of Jayadratha.

Earlier in the Droṇa Parva battles, Bhūriśravas fought Śikhaṇḍī. Both were known as great warriors skilled in the science of arms. Bhūriśravas covered Śikhaṇḍī with arrows. Śikhaṇḍī answered with ninety arrows that shook the son of Somadatta.

Bhūriśravas also killed Maṇimanta, a Pāṇḍava king who had come to attack Droṇa. When his own chariot was damaged, Bhūriśravas leapt down with a long sword. He cut down Maṇimanta together with his horses, his charioteer and his banner.

Death at Kurukshetra

The Droṇa Parva tells of the death of Bhūriśravas. He had pressed hard against Sātyaki. He dragged the tired Sātyaki by the hair across the field and got ready to strike the killing blow.

At that moment Arjuna, urged by Śrī Kṛshṇa to protect Sātyaki, shot an arrow from far away. Sātyaki had entered the battle at Arjuna’s own request. The arrow cut off the arm of Bhūriśravas while his whole attention was on Sātyaki. The arm fell.

Bhūriśravas turned and called this an act against dharma. He said Arjuna had struck a warrior who was busy with another, from behind, and that he had not challenged Arjuna. He gave up the fight and sat down on the battlefield in yoga. He resolved to leave his body through pravrajyā (withdrawal into meditation). Arjuna answered his charge honestly.

Sātyaki then recovered, came up and cut off the head of Bhūriśravas while he sat unmoving in meditation. Even the Pāṇḍava side condemned this as a greater wrong than what Arjuna had done.

Bhūriśravas died in yoga-nishṭhā (steady yoga), with his antaḥkaraṇa (inner mind) fixed on Parameśvara. He reached a noble gati (course after death). In the Strī Parva his arm is shown held by his grieving wives.

Gāndhārī’s lament in the Strī Parva

In the Strī Parva (Chapters 16–25), Gāndhārī mourned Bhūriśravas among the fallen Kauravas. She mourned him as a man of true worth, honoured both as a scholar of the Vedas and as a warrior of rare standing.

The Strī Parva recalls how he met his death. Arjuna cut off his arm while he was in what was seen as single combat with Sātyaki. Bhūriśravas chose to die in yoga on the battlefield. He sat in meditation with his weapons laid down and met death with full awareness. He was killed while seated.

Her lament for him is part of the Strī Parva’s repeated theme. The war took not only men who acted against dharma but also many men of real virtue.

The śrāddha and the great gift

Dhṛtarāshṭra planned a śrāddha (rite for the departed) for Bhīshma, Droṇa, Somadatta and Bāhlīka. Bhīma then told Arjuna he would gladly perform the rite for Bhūriśravas himself. He named him together with his father Somadatta. He said this although his anger over the dice game still remained.

Bhūriśravas was also named among those who received the ten-day dāna-yajña (great gift-giving rite) that Dhṛtarāshṭra held before he left for the forest. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 11 and 14.

The meeting at the Gaṅgā

At the Gaṅgā, Vyāsa called up the whole host of the fallen. Bhūriśravas rose from the holy waters among the warriors. He was young again and free of enmity. He stayed for one night of reunion and then went back to his loka (world). This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 32.

Return to the Viśvedevas

The Svargārohaṇa Parva names Bhūriśravas, the famous warrior son of Somadatta, among the great souls who had used up their earthly karma (action and its result) and entered the Viśvedevas. His heroic death on the battlefield had made him pure. He was taken back into that class of devas together with his brother Bhūri and the many Kuru, Yādava and allied heroes.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Chapter 34
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva
• Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 17–18
• Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 43–122
• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva
• Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapters 16–25
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 11, 14
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 32
• Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 5