Shloka 31
Ghaṭotkaca Slays Alāyudha (Night Battle and Māyā Countermeasures) / घटोत्कचेन अलायुधवधः
यत्रापश्यं हतं भीष्म॑ पश्यतस्ते5नुजस्य वै । दुःशासनस्य कौरव्य कुर्वाणं कर्म दुष्करम्,कुरुनन्दन! नरेश! जिन्हें इन्द्रसहित सम्पूर्ण देवता भी युद्धमें नहीं मार सकते थे, दुष्कर कर्म करनेवाले उन्हीं भीष्मको जबसे मैंने तुम्हारे छोटे भाई दुःशासनके देखते-देखते मारा गया देखा है, तबसे मैं यही सोचता हूँ कि अब यह पृथ्वी तुम्हारे अधिकारमें नहीं रह सकती
sañjaya uvāca | yatrāpaśyaṁ hataṁ bhīṣmaṁ paśyataste 'nujasya vai | duḥśāsanasya kauravya kurvāṇaṁ karma duṣkaram ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Kauravya, sejak aku melihat Bhīṣma gugur—di depan mata adikmu Duḥśāsana—Bhīṣma yang menunaikan laku-laku paling sukar, yang bahkan para dewa bersama Indra pun takkan mampu membunuhnya dalam perang, sejak saat itu aku berpikir: kini bumi ini tak mungkin lagi tetap berada di bawah kekuasaanmu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Bhīṣma’s fall as a moral and political turning point: when even the seemingly invincible protector of the Kuru line is brought down, it signals the collapse of unjust power. Sañjaya implies that sovereignty is not secured merely by force or lineage; when adharma ripens into catastrophic consequences, the right to rule—and the stability of rule—cannot endure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that he witnessed Bhīṣma killed in battle, and that this occurred in the very sight of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s younger son Duḥśāsana. The shock of Bhīṣma’s death—described as beyond what even the gods with Indra could accomplish—leads Sañjaya to conclude that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side is now destined to lose dominion over the earth.