Shloka 9
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
राज्यार्ध पञज्च वा ग्रामान् नाकार्षीत् स च दुर्मति: । दृष्टवा हि क्षत्रियान् शूरान् शयानान् धरणीतले
rājyārdhaṃ pañca vā grāmān nākārṣīt sa ca durmatiḥ | dṛṣṭvā hi kṣatriyān śūrān śayānān dharaṇītale ||
Sañjaya said: That evil-minded man did not accept even half the kingdom, nor even five villages—especially after seeing the heroic kṣatriyas lying slain upon the earth. The sight of such fallen warriors shows how stubborn ambition, when it rejects fair compromise, drives a conflict to ruinous and morally weighty consequences.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A central ethical point is the danger of durmati—perverted judgment driven by pride and greed. When a leader refuses even reasonable settlement (half the kingdom or even a few villages), the resulting war brings widespread death; the verse highlights moral responsibility for preventable suffering.
Sañjaya comments on the refusal to accept compromise—neither half the kingdom nor even five villages—despite the visible aftermath of war, with brave kṣatriyas lying dead on the earth. It frames the ongoing devastation as tied to obstinate rejection of peace.