Shloka 9
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
कृतिन त॑ दुराधर्ष संजयास्य त्वमन्तिके । कथं शान्तनवं युद्धे पाण्डवा: प्रत्यवारयन्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca: Kṛtinaṁ taṁ durādharṣaṁ sañjayāsya tvam antike | Kathaṁ Śāntanavaṁ yuddhe Pāṇḍavāḥ pratyavārayan ||
قال دِهْرِتَرَاشْتْرَا: «يا سَنْجَيَا، لقد كنتَ قريبًا منه—فأخبرني. كيف كبحَ الباندافا في القتال بِهِيشْمَةَ سليلَ شانتانو—بِهِيشْمَةَ المُجيدَ الذي لا يُدنى منه، سيّدَ الأسلحة، الذي كان يأتي ببأسٍ يكاد يستحيل ويُهلكُ قواهم بلا انقطاع؟ وبيدِ مَن، وبأيِّ طريقة، حُبِسَ عن التقدّم؟»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: even an invincible elder-warrior acting within his vow-bound duty can be opposed when the larger conflict demands it. It frames restraint of power as a crucial moral and strategic problem—how to limit destructive force without denying the warrior’s stature.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of Bhīṣma’s devastating advance against the Pāṇḍavas, questions Sañjaya (who witnessed events) about the specific means and persons by which Bhīṣma—Śāntanu’s descendant and a master of arms—was prevented from continuing his onslaught.