Shloka 17
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
कथं शान्तनवं दृष्टवा पाण्डवानामनीकिनी । प्रहर्तुमशकत् तत्र भीष्म॑ भीमपराक्रमम्,शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म तो बड़े भयंकर पराक्रमी थे, उन्हें सामने देखकर पाण्डवसेना उनपर प्रहार कैसे कर सकी?
kathaṁ śāntanavaṁ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavānām anīkinī | prahartum aśakat tatra bhīṣmaṁ bhīmaparākramam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “How, upon seeing Bhīṣma—the son of Śāntanu, of dreadful and irresistible prowess—was the Pāṇḍavas’ army able to strike him there? How could they bring themselves to attack such a formidable elder on the battlefield?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of dharma in war: even when an opponent is an honored elder and nearly invincible, kṣatriya duty and the demands of a righteous cause can compel battle. It frames the conflict as not merely physical but moral—how one acts when reverence and necessity collide.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the battle, expresses astonishment and concern: Bhīṣma, famed as Śāntanu’s son and a terrifying warrior, stands before the Pāṇḍava forces. Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks how the Pāṇḍava army could muster the courage and resolve to attack him on the battlefield.