Shloka 67
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
वरान् वरान् विनिष्नन्तं पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिकान् | युगान्तमिव कुर्वाणं भीष्म॑ यौधिष्ठिरे बले
varān varān viniṣṇantaṃ pāṇḍuputrasya sainikān | yugāntam iva kurvāṇaṃ bhīṣmaṃ yaudhiṣṭhire bale ||
Sañjaya dit : «Bhīṣma abattait, l’un après l’autre, les plus grands guerriers du fils de Pāṇḍu. Dans l’armée de Yudhiṣṭhira, il faisait naître une scène comme la fin d’un âge — une dévastation écrasante, presque apocalyptique — et la tension morale du combat s’en trouvait aiguisée : le camp du juste souffre cruellement lorsque la retenue se heurte à une prouesse implacable.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of dharma in war: even a cause aligned with righteousness can suffer severe losses when met by unmatched skill and resolve. It underscores that moral rightness does not automatically guarantee immediate victory; duty, endurance, and strategic clarity remain essential.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is cutting down the foremost Pāṇḍava warriors within Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces, creating devastation likened to the ‘end of the age’ (yugānta), i.e., a battlefield scene of overwhelming destruction.