Shloka 12
खं तम:संवृतमभूदासीद् भानुर्गतप्रभ: । ररास पृथिवी चैव भीष्मे शान्तनवे हते,उस समय आकाशमें अन्धकार छा गया। सूर्यकी प्रभा फीकी पड़ गयी। शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मके मारे जानेपर यह सारी पृथ्वी भयानक शब्द करने लगी
khaṃ tamaḥ-saṃvṛtam abhūd āsīd bhānur gata-prabhaḥ | rarāsa pṛthivī caiva bhīṣme śāntanave hate ||
Sañjaya said: The sky became veiled in darkness, and the sun’s radiance seemed to fade away. When Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu, was struck down, the very earth resounded with a dreadful roar—signaling that a pillar of dharma on the battlefield had fallen and that the war’s moral gravity had deepened.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Bhīṣma’s fall as not merely a military event but a moral-cosmic rupture: when a great upholder of duty collapses, the world itself seems to mourn. It highlights the ethical weight of war and the idea that adharma and massive violence disturb the natural and moral order.
Sañjaya reports ominous signs at the moment Bhīṣma, Śāntanu’s son and the Kuru grandsire, is struck down: darkness covers the sky, the sun’s brilliance fades, and the earth resounds with a terrifying noise—portents marking a decisive turning point in the battle.