Shloka 61
Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)
दुर्योधनापराधेन कर्णस्य शकुनेस्तथा । दुःशासनचतुर्थानां कुरवो निधनं गता:,दुर्योधन, दुःशासन, कर्ण और शकुनि--इन्हीं चारोंके अपराधसे सारे कौरव मारे गये हैं
duryodhanāparādhena karṇasya śakunes tathā | duḥśāsana-caturthānāṁ kuravo nidhanaṁ gatāḥ ||
Bhishma said: Because of the wrongdoing of Duryodhana—and likewise of Karna, Shakuni, and Duhshasana—the Kauravas met their destruction. He implies that the fall of an entire lineage can be traced to the culpable choices of a few who drove the community toward adharma and war.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A community can be ruined by the sustained wrongdoing (aparādha) of influential individuals; unethical leadership and complicity create collective consequences, culminating in destruction.
Bhishma identifies the principal agents whose offenses led to the Kauravas’ annihilation—Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni, and Duhshasana—summarizing moral causality behind the war’s outcome.