Shloka 68
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
कथं शान्तनवं तात॑ पाण्डुपुत्रा नयवारयन् । कथं युक्तान्यनीकानि कथं युद्ध महात्मभि:,भीष्मजी किसीसे पराजित न होनेवाले और लज्जाशील थे। विपक्षी सेनाओंका संहार करते हुए उन मेरे ताऊ भीष्मजीको पाण्डवोंने कैसे रोका? उन महामनस्वी वीरोंने किस प्रकार सेनाएँ संगठित कीं और किस प्रकार युद्ध किया?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | kathaṁ śāntanavaṁ tāta pāṇḍuputrā nayavārayan | kathaṁ yuktāny anīkāni kathaṁ yuddhaṁ mahātmabhiḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Tell me, dear one—how did the sons of Pāṇḍu restrain Śāntanu’s descendant (Bhīṣma), who was directing the battle with strategic skill? How were the battle-formations properly arrayed, and how did those great-souled warriors conduct the war?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension of war: even a nearly invincible elder like Bhīṣma can be ‘checked’ not merely by force but through naya—disciplined strategy and principled leadership—raising questions about how dharma operates amid organized violence.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to explain how the Pāṇḍavas managed to hold back Bhīṣma and how the great warriors arranged their troop-divisions and fought—setting up a detailed account of formations, tactics, and the unfolding of battle.