Shloka 87
भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-प्रहारः तथा घटोत्कचमायाप्रादुर्भावः | Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Clash and the Manifestation of Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā
इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि अष्टमदिवसयुद्धारम्भे सप्ताशीतितमो<ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi aṣṭamadivasayuddhārambhe saptāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Ainsi, dans le vénérable Mahābhārata, au sein du Bhīṣma Parva—plus précisément dans la section concernant la mise à mort de Bhīṣma—commence le récit du combat du huitième jour ; ici s’achève le quatre-vingt-septième chapitre. Ce colophon encadre la narration comme un registre solennel de la guerre, marque une phase décisive qui conduit à la chute de Bhīṣma et invite à méditer le lourd poids éthique du devoir martial et ses conséquences.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the war narrative as a sacred history and highlights the moral gravity of the coming events—especially the turning point associated with Bhīṣma’s fall—prompting reflection on dharma in warfare and the cost of duty-bound violence.
This is an editorial/narrative marker concluding the chapter and situating it within Bhīṣma Parva and the Bhīṣma-vadha episode, indicating the commencement of the eighth day’s fighting and signaling that the story is moving toward the decisive developments surrounding Bhīṣma.