Shloka 119
संन्यस्य वीरा: शस्त्राणि प्राध्यायन्त समन्ततः । शक्तिशाली गंगानन्दन भीष्मके मारे जानेपर सब ओर दोनों सेनाओंके सब वीर अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्र नीचे डालकर भारी चिन्तामें निमग्न हो गये || ११८ है ।। प्राक्रोशन् प्राद्रवंश्वान्ये जग्मुमोहं तथापरे,कुछ फूट-फ़ूटकर रोने-चिल्लाने लगे, कुछ इधर-उधर भागने लगे और कुछ वीर मोहको प्राप्त (मूर्च्छित) हो गये इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि भीष्मनिपातने एकोनविंशत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
saṃnyasya vīrāḥ śastrāṇi prādhāyanta samantataḥ | prākrośan prādravanś cānye jagmur mohaṃ tathāpare ||
Sañjaya said: When the mighty Bhīṣma, the son of Gaṅgā, was struck down, warriors on every side laid aside their weapons and sank into heavy anxiety. Some cried out and wailed aloud, others fled in confusion, and still others were overcome by stupefaction. The fall of the great elder momentarily suspended the very rhythm of battle, revealing how war’s violence shatters resolve and exposes the human cost that even the strongest cannot escape.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a dharma-framed war, the collapse of a revered elder exposes the fragility of human resolve: grief, fear, and delusion can overwhelm discipline. The passage highlights the ethical weight of violence and the psychological cost borne by all sides.
After Bhīṣma is felled, the battlefield momentarily breaks its momentum: warriors lay down weapons, many cry out, some flee, and others faint or become stupefied. Sañjaya reports this collective shock as a turning point in the war’s atmosphere.