490
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 9]
धृतरथचरणोऽम्ययाचलद्गु- हरिरिव हन्तुमिमं गतोत्तरीयः ॥३७॥
sva-nigamam apahāya mat-pratijñām ṛtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthaḥ dhṛta-ratha-caraṇo 'bhyayāc caladgur harir iva hantum ibhaṁ gutottarīyaḥ
sva-nigamam —own truthfulness;  apahāya —for nullifying;  mat-pratijñām —my own promise;  ṛtam —factual;  adhi —more;  kartum —for doing it;  avaplutaḥ —getting down;  rathasthaḥ —from the chariot;  dhṛta —taking up;  ratha —chariot;  caraṇaḥ —wheel;  abhyayāt —went hurriedly;  caladguḥ —trampling the earth;  hariḥ —lion;  iva —like;  hantum —to kill;  ibham —elephant;  gata —leaving aside;  uttarīyaḥ —covering cloth.
TRANSLATION
Fulfilling my desire and sacrificing His own promise, He got down from the chariot, took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just like a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on the way.
PURPORT
The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought on military principles but at the same time in a sporting spirit, like a friend fights with another friend. Duryodhana criticized Bhīṣmadeva, alleging that he was reluctant to kill Arjuna because of paternal affection. A  kṣatriya  cannot tolerate insults on the principle of fighting. Bhīṣmadeva therefore promised that the next day he would kill all five Pāṇḍavas with special weapons made for the purpose. Duryodhana was satisfied, and he kept the arrows with him to be delivered the next day during the fight. By tricks Arjuna took the arrows from Duryodhana, and Bhīṣmadeva could understand that this was the trick of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So he took a vow that the next day Kṛṣṇa would have to take up weapons Himself, otherwise His friend Arjuna would die. So in the next day's fighting Bhīṣmadeva fought so violently that both Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa were in trouble. Arjuna was almost defeated; the situation was so tense that he was about to be killed by Bhīṣmadeva the very next moment. At that time Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to please His devotee, Bhīṣma, by keeping his promise, which was more important than His own. Seemingly He broke His own promise. He promised before the beginning of the