Shloka 35
न शक्ता विनिहन्तुं हि रणे तं सर्वदेवता: । तस्मान्मा त्वं सरिच्छेछ्ठे शोचस्व कुरुनन्दनम् । वसूनेष गतो देवि पुत्रस्ते विज्वरा भव
na śaktā vinihantuṃ hi raṇe taṃ sarvadevatāḥ | tasmān mā tvaṃ saricchreṣṭhe śocāsva kurunandanam | vasūneṣa gato devi putras te vijvarā bhava ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai dewi, yang terbaik di antara sungai-sungai! Bahkan semua dewa bersama-sama pun tak sanggup membinasakannya di medan perang. Karena itu janganlah engkau meratapi Bhīṣma, kebanggaan wangsa Kuru. Putramu telah pergi ke alam para Vasu; bebaskan dirimu dari demam duka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Bhīṣma’s death as not a mere defeat but a divinely ordered departure: one should restrain grief when a righteous person attains their destined, higher state. It encourages steadiness of mind and trust in dharma and cosmic order rather than being overwhelmed by sorrow.
Vaiśaṃpāyana consoles Gaṅgā, addressed as the ‘best of rivers,’ telling her not to mourn Bhīṣma. He emphasizes Bhīṣma’s extraordinary stature—so formidable that even the gods could not kill him in battle—and declares that he has returned to the Vasus, his divine origin, urging her to become free of anguish.