Shloka 78
यः सम्प्राप्य रणे भीष्म जीविते सम मनो दथे । राजन! उस समय सोमकोंमें एक भी महारथी ऐसा नहीं था, जो युद्धभूमिमें भीष्मके पास पहुँचकर अपने मनमें जीवन-रक्षाकी आशा रखता हो || ७७ $ ।।
yaḥ samprāpya raṇe bhīṣmaṁ jīvite sama-mano dadhe | rājan! tadā somakeṣu naiko 'pi mahā-rathī yuddha-bhūmau bhīṣmasya samīpaṁ prāpya manasi jīvana-rakṣāyā āśāṁ dadhāna āsīt || tāṁś ca sarvān raṇe yodhān pretarāja-puraṁ prati ||
Sanjaya said: “O King, at that time among the Somakas there was not even a single great chariot-warrior who, having reached Bhishma on the battlefield, could keep his mind set on survival or cherish any hope of saving his life. All those fighters in that combat were being driven toward the city of the Lord of the Dead, Yama.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: when a warrior like Bhishma dominates the field, even the strongest lose hope of self-preservation, highlighting impermanence of life and the inevitability of death (Yama) amid kshatriya duty.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Bhishma’s presence in battle is so overwhelming that none among the Somaka great warriors can approach him while still expecting to survive; the fighting is portrayed as sending warriors toward Yama’s abode.