Shloka 7
स हतो द्रौपदेयेन पाउ्चाल्येन शिखण्डिना । रणभूमिमें देवव्रत भीष्मका मारा जाना मुझे बारंबार असह् हो उठता है। जो भीष्म पूर्वकालमें जमदग्निनन्दन परशुरामके दिव्यास्त्रोंद्रार भी नहीं मारे जा सके, वे ही द्रपदकुमार पांचालदेशीय शिखण्डीके हाथसे मारे गये; यह कितने दुःखकी बात है ।।
sa hataḥ draupadeyena pāñcālyena śikhaṇḍinā | raṇabhūmau devavrato bhīṣmasya māraṇaṃ me bāhuśo 'sahyaṃ bhavati | yo bhīṣmaḥ pūrvakāle jamadagninandana-parāśurāmasya divyāstrair api na nihato 'bhavat, sa eva drupadakumāra-pāñcāladeśīya-śikhaṇḍinaḥ hastena nihataḥ—kati duḥkhasya viṣayaḥ || sañjaya uvāca: sāyāhne nihato bhūmau dhārtarāṣṭrān anu viṣādayan |
Sañjaya sprach: „Er—Devavrata Bhīṣma—wurde auf dem Schlachtfeld vom Sohn Drupadas, dem panchalischen Prinzen Śikhaṇḍin, niedergestreckt. Immer wieder ist es mir unerträglich, dass Bhīṣma getötet wurde: derselbe Bhīṣma, den einst nicht einmal die göttlichen Waffen Paraśurāmas (Paraśurāma), des Sohnes Jamadagnis (Jāmadagnya), zu töten vermochten, ist nun durch Śikhaṇḍins Hand gefallen. Welch ein Grund zur Trauer! Gegen Spätnachmittag lag er am Boden, und die Söhne Dhṛtarāṣṭras versanken in Verzweiflung.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic irony of fate in war: even the mightiest, seemingly invincible warrior can fall when circumstances align. It also underscores the ethical weight of battlefield outcomes—victory and defeat are not merely physical events but moral and emotional shocks that ripple through families and kingdoms.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Bhishma (Devavrata) has been brought down on the battlefield by Shikhandin of Panchala, and that Bhishma’s fall—despite his earlier invulnerability even against Parashurama’s divine weapons—has plunged the Kauravas into deep despair, especially as he lies fallen in the late afternoon.