Shloka 66

Devanagari script

उवाच माधव: काले धर्मपुत्र॑ युधिष्ठिरम्‌ । दिष्ट्या जयसि कौरव्य दिष्ट्या भीष्मो निपातित:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | uvāca mādhavaḥ kāle dharmaputraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | diṣṭyā jayasi kauravya diṣṭyā bhīṣmo nipātitaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Au moment propice, Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) s’adressa à Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira : « Heureux présage, ô rejeton des Kurus : tu l’emportes. Et c’est pareillement par bonne fortune que Bhīṣma a été terrassé. » Cette parole ne réduit pas l’événement à un succès tactique : elle le pose comme un tournant permis par le destin, lourd d’enjeu moral, car celui qui tombe est l’aîné vénéré, gardien du dharma des Kurus.

Word by Word

• उवाच: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• माधवः: Mādhava (Krishna)
• माधवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• काले: at the (proper) time
• काले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• धर्मपुत्रम्: the son of Dharma (Yudhishthira)
• धर्मपुत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरम्: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दिष्ट्या: by good fortune; fortunately
• दिष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• जयसि: you win/are victorious
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: Present, 2, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कौरव्य: O Kaurava (descendant of Kuru)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव्य
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दिष्ट्या: by good fortune; fortunately
• दिष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निपातितः: has been felled/caused to fall
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Past passive participle (kta), Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive sense

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra)
• Bhīṣma
• Kuru lineage (Kauravya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in righteous warfare, outcomes are portrayed as dependent on ‘diṣṭi’ (destiny/fortune), reminding leaders like Yudhiṣṭhira to temper triumph with ethical awareness—especially when victory involves the fall of a venerable elder such as Bhīṣma.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Bhīṣma has been brought down in battle, Kṛṣṇa approaches Yudhiṣṭhira at an opportune time and declares that Yudhiṣṭhira is prevailing and that Bhīṣma’s fall is a matter of fortune—marking a decisive shift in the war’s momentum.