Shloka 1
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत भीष्मपर्वके अन्तर्गत भीष्मवधपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक एक सौ सत्रहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ११७ ॥। फल + (0) आजअत+- अष्टादशाधिकशततमोब<् ध्याय: भीष्मका अद्भुत पराक्रम करते हुए पाण्डव-सेनाका भीषण संहार संजय उवाच सम॑ व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु भूयिष्ेष्वनिवर्तिन: । ब्रह्मलोकपरा: सर्वे समपद्यन्त भारत
sañjaya uvāca | samaṁ vyūḍheṣv anīkeṣu bhūyiṣṭheṣv anivartinaḥ | brahmalokaparāḥ sarve samapadyanta bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, when the battle-formations of both armies had been evenly arrayed, most of the warriors stood firm within their ranks—unyielding, never turning their backs in combat, and fighting with Brahmaloka as their highest aim. The scene presents war as a chosen ordeal of duty and resolve, where steadfastness and the hope of a transcendent reward shape the soldiers’ ethical self-understanding.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield steadfastness as an ethical ideal: warriors are described as anivartinaḥ (not retreating) and as aiming at Brahmaloka, suggesting that courage and commitment to one’s chosen duty are reinforced by a transcendent moral horizon.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that both sides have been set in orderly, balanced formations, with most fighters holding their positions and preparing to engage without retreat.