Shloka 25
Jaitrya-nimitta: Signs of Prospective Victory and the Priority of Conciliation (जयलक्षण-निमित्त तथा सान्त्व-प्रधान नीति)
विषयो व्यथते राजन् सर्व: सस्थाणुजड्रम: । अस्य प्रतापतप्तानां मज्जा सीदति देहिनाम्
viṣayo vyathate rājan sarvaḥ sasthāṇujaḍramaḥ | asya pratāpataptānāṁ majjā sīdati dehinām ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, when war draws near, the whole realm is shaken—everything, whether fixed or moving, whether inert or living. Under the scorching might of weapons, even the marrow of embodied beings seems to fail and dry up.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
War is not a contained event; its violence radiates outward, distressing the entire realm and breaking down even the innermost strength of living beings. The verse underscores the ethical weight of choosing or permitting war.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and governance. Here he describes the palpable, widespread terror and bodily devastation that arise when battle approaches, as a warning about war’s real cost.