Shloka 8
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
एतन्मे सर्वमाचक्ष्व याथातथ्येन संजय । दैववश मेरे ही ऊपर अत्यन्त भयंकर दण्ड पड़ रहा है। संजय! क्यों पाण्डव अवध्य हैं और क्यों मेरे पुत्र मारे जा रहे हैं? यह सब यथार्थरूपसे मुझे बताओ ।। न हि पारं प्रपश्यामि दुःखस्यास्थ कथंचन
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | etan me sarvam ācakṣva yāthātathyena sañjaya | daivavaśa mamaiva upari atyanta-bhayaṅkara-daṇḍaḥ patitaḥ | sañjaya! kutaḥ pāṇḍavā avadhyāḥ, kutaś ca mama putrā hanyante? etat sarvaṃ yathārtha-rūpeṇa me vada | na hi pāraṃ prapaśyāmi duḥkhasya asya kathaṃcana ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Sañjaya, jelaskan kepadaku semuanya setepat-tepatnya sebagaimana adanya. Oleh kuasa takdir, hukuman yang amat mengerikan menimpa diriku. Sañjaya—mengapa Pāṇḍava tak tersentuh untuk dibinasakan, dan mengapa putra-putraku dibunuh? Terangkan semuanya dalam wujudnya yang nyata; sebab aku tak melihat ujung dari dukacita ini dengan cara apa pun.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical psychology of a ruler facing the consequences of adharma: Dhṛtarāṣṭra interprets the catastrophe as daiva-driven punishment and seeks yāthātathya (truth as it is). It underscores that denial and partiality culminate in unavoidable suffering, and that clarity about reality is the first step toward moral understanding.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra war reports, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya in anguish. He asks why the Pāṇḍavas seem unslayable and why his own sons are falling, and he confesses that he sees no end to his grief—setting the tone for further truthful narration of the battle’s course and its moral causality.