Shloka 23
अध्याय ८७: कृष्णस्य हस्तिनापुरप्रवेशः
Krishna’s Entry into Hastināpura and Court Reception
इत्युक्त्वा भरतश्रेष्ठो वृद्ध: परममन्युमान् । उत्थाय तस्मात् प्रातिष्ठद् भीष्म: सत्यपराक्रम:,ऐसा कहकर भरतश्रेष्ठ सत्यपराक्रमी वृद्ध पितामह भीष्म अत्यन्त कुपित हो उस सभाभवनसे उठकर चले गये
ity uktvā bharataśreṣṭho vṛddhaḥ paramam anyumān | utthāya tasmāt prātiṣṭhad bhīṣmaḥ satyaparākramaḥ ||
Having spoken thus, the aged Bhīṣma—foremost among the Bharatas, renowned for truthful valor—was seized by intense anger. Rising from that assembly hall, he departed; his indignation marked a grave moral rupture in the council’s conduct and the deepening crisis of dharma that was driving the realm toward conflict.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral outrage in a righteous elder can function as an ethical verdict on a corrupted deliberation: when counsel in the royal assembly deviates from dharma, even the most steadfast guardians of order may withdraw, marking the seriousness of the breach and foreshadowing destructive consequences.
After finishing his statement, the elderly Bhīṣma—described as the foremost Bharata and truly valorous—becomes extremely angry, stands up in the assembly hall, and leaves, indicating escalating tension and a breakdown of consensus in the Kuru court.