Shloka 45
पहलेकी बात है, दानवोंका संहार करनेवाले सम्पूर्ण देवताओंने जिन मेरे महान् व्रतधारी पिता रणदुर्मद भीष्मजीको अपना सहायक बनानेकी अभिलाषा की थी, जिन महापराक्रमी पुत्र॒रत्नके जन्म लेनेपर लोकविख्यात महाराज शान्तनुने शोक, दीनता और दुःखका सदाके लिये त्याग कर दिया था, जो सबके आश्रयदाता, बुद्धिमान्, स्वधर्मपरायण, पवित्र और वेदवेदांगोंके तत्त्वज्ञ बताये गये हैं, उन्हीं भीष्मको तुम मारा गया कैसे बता रहे हो? ।। सर्वस्त्रिविनयोपेतं शान्तं दान्तं मनस्विनम् । हतं शान्तनवं श्रुत्वा मन्ये शेषं हतं बलम्,जो सम्पूर्ण अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी शिक्षासे सम्पन्न, शान्त, जितेन्द्रिय और मनस्वी थे, उन शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मको मारा गया सुनकर मुझे यह विश्वास हो गया कि अब हमारी सारी सेना मार दी गयी
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | sarvāstravinayopetaṃ śāntaṃ dāntaṃ manasvinam | hataṃ śāntanavaṃ śrutvā manye śeṣaṃ hataṃ balam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “In former days my father—Bhīṣma, the great-vowed, slayer of the Dānavas, whom all the gods longed to have as their ally in war—was that jewel of a son; at his birth, Śāntanu, famed throughout the world, cast off grief, abasement, and sorrow forever. He is praised as the refuge of all, wise, devoted to his own dharma, pure, and knower of the essence of the Vedas and their limbs—how can you say that Bhīṣma has been slain? And hearing that Bhīṣma, Śāntanu’s son—fully trained in the discipline of every weapon, serene, self-controlled, and high-minded—has fallen, I am convinced that whatever strength remains to us is already as good as destroyed.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of a single exemplary figure—disciplined, self-controlled, and morally authoritative—can signify the collapse of an entire cause. It implies that true strength in war is not only numbers and weapons but also the presence of dharma-grounded leadership.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra receives news that Bhīṣma has been brought down. Shocked, he concludes that if such an invincible pillar has fallen, the remaining Kaurava forces are effectively doomed, anticipating a broader defeat.