Shloka 26
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
यस्मिन् सत्यं च मेधा च नीतिश्न भरतर्षभे । अप्रमेयाणि दुर्धर्षे कथं स निहतो युधि,जिन दुर्जय वीर भरतभूषण भीष्ममें सत्य, मेधा और नीति--ये तीन अप्रमेय शक्तियाँ थीं, वे युद्धमें कैसे मारे गये?
yasmin satyaṃ ca medhā ca nītiś ca bharatarṣabhe | aprameyāṇi durdharṣe kathaṃ sa nihato yudhi ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata ! En Bhīṣma se trouvaient la vérité, une intelligence pénétrante et la maîtrise de la juste conduite politique — des puissances sans mesure et difficiles à surmonter. Comment donc fut-il abattu au combat ?»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral excellence—truthfulness, intelligence, and ethical policy—does not guarantee invulnerability in war; even the most dharmic and formidable can fall due to complex causes such as strategy, circumstance, and the workings of destiny.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of events on the battlefield, expresses astonishment that Bhīṣma—renowned for truth, wisdom, and righteous conduct—could be brought down, and he asks how such an unconquerable warrior was slain in combat.