Shloka 183
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौष॑ चापगेयेन संख्ये स्वयं मृत्युं विहितं धार्मिकेण । तच्चाकार्षु: पाण्डवेया: प्रह्ृष्टा- स््तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि परम धार्मिक गंगानन्दन भीष्मने युद्धभूमिमें पाण्डवोंको अपनी मृत्युका उपाय स्वयं बता दिया और पाण्डवोंने प्रसन्न होकर उनकी उस आज्ञाका पालन किया। संजय! तभी मुझे विजयकी आशा नहीं रही
yadāśrauṣa cāpageyena saṅkhye svayaṃ mṛtyuṃ vihitaṃ dhārmikeṇa | taccākārṣuḥ pāṇḍaveyāḥ prahṛṣṭās tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya ||
When I heard that, on the battlefield, the supremely righteous Bhīṣma—the son of Gaṅgā—had himself disclosed to the Pāṇḍavas the means by which his own death could be brought about, and that the Pāṇḍavas, rejoicing, carried out his instruction—then, Sañjaya, I no longer held any hope of victory. The moment reveals a grim ethical paradox of war: even the mightiest warrior, bound by dharma and vows, may choose truth and the rightful course over partisan success, and that very righteousness can decide the outcome of the conflict.
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma can override factional loyalty: a righteous warrior may reveal even self-harming truth if it serves a higher moral order. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical world, victory is not merely a matter of strength but of alignment with dharma, and righteousness itself can become the decisive force.
The speaker reports hearing that Bhīṣma (Gaṅgā’s son), on the battlefield, disclosed to the Pāṇḍavas the method by which he could be brought down. The Pāṇḍavas, pleased, acted on that instruction. On hearing this, the speaker tells Sañjaya that he lost hope of victory.