Shloka 35
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
अगाथबुद्धिर्गाड्िय: क्षितौ सुरगुरो: सम: । त्याजित: समरे प्राणांस्तस्माद् युद्ध हि निष्ठरम्,“जो विशेषत: राजा युधिष्ठिरके और हमारे हितमें तत्पर रहते थे, वे बृहस्पतिके समान अगाध बुद्धिवाले महातेजस्वी गंगानन्दन भीष्म भी न्याय अथवा अन्यायसे मारे जाकर समरभूमिमें सो रहे हैं और प्राणत्यागकी परिस्थितिमें डाल दिये गये हैं। इसीसे कहना पड़ता है कि युद्ध अत्यन्त निष्ठुर कर्म है”
agāthabuddhir gāṅgeyaḥ kṣitau suraguroḥ samaḥ | tyājitaḥ samare prāṇāṁs tasmād yuddha hi niṣṭhuram ||
Sañjaya said: “Even Bhīṣma, the son of the Gaṅgā—of unfathomable intellect and equal to Bṛhaspati, the preceptor of the gods—lies on the earth, having been brought to the point of relinquishing his very life in the battle. Therefore one must say: war is indeed a most ruthless act.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical horror of war: even the wisest and most venerable—Bhīṣma, likened to Bṛhaspati—can be reduced to helpless suffering on the battlefield. This becomes evidence that war, whatever its justifications, is intrinsically ruthless and morally devastating.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya), renowned for wisdom and greatness, has been struck down and lies on the ground, brought to the brink of death. From this spectacle he draws the conclusion that warfare is exceedingly cruel.