Shloka 32
Ghaṭotkaca Slays Alāyudha (Night Battle and Māyā Countermeasures) / घटोत्कचेन अलायुधवधः
अवध्यकल्पं संग्रामे देवेरपि सवासवै: । न ते वसुन्धरास्तीति तदाहं चिन्तये नूप,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 | avadhyakalpaṃ saṃgrāme devair api savāsavaiḥ | na te vasundharāstīti tad ahaṃ cintaye nṛpa kuru-nandana nareśa |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, kebanggaan Kuru, penguasa manusia—sejak aku melihat Bhīṣma, pelaku laku-laku mengerikan, gugur di medan perang di depan mata adikmu Duḥśāsana—Bhīṣma yang bahkan para dewa, Indra termasuk, nyaris takkan mampu membunuhnya dalam perang—aku terus memikirkan ini: bumi (kedaulatan) takkan lagi tetap berada dalam genggamanmu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly power is unstable: when even the seemingly invincible fall, it signals the collapse of unjust confidence and the turning of fortune; sovereignty cannot be secured merely by force when dharma and destiny have turned against it.
Sañjaya reports to the Kuru king that after witnessing Bhīṣma—once thought unkillable, even by the gods—being slain before Duḥśāsana’s eyes, he concludes that the Kauravas’ hold over the kingdom (the ‘earth’) is no longer sustainable.