Shloka 16
हते शान्तनवे भीष्मे भरतानां पितामहे । न किंचित् प्रत्यपद्यन्त पुत्रास्तव हि मारिष,आर्य! भरतवंशियोंके पितामह शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मके मारे जानेपर आपके पुत्रोंको कुछ भी नहीं सूझता था
sañjaya uvāca | hate śāntanave bhīṣme bharatānāṁ pitāmahe | na kiñcit pratyapadyanta putrās tava hi māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: When Bhīṣma—the son of Śāntanu, the grandsire of the Bharatas—had been struck down, your sons, O venerable one, could not regain their composure or arrive at any clear course of action. The fall of the elder who embodied their lineage’s authority and martial order left them inwardly unmoored amid the moral shock of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of a dharmic elder and stabilizing authority figure can shatter morale and clarity in a crisis. It implicitly contrasts reliance on external pillars (prestige, senior warriors) with the need for inner steadiness and ethical discernment amid the upheaval of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Bhīṣma—revered as the Bharatas’ grandsire—was brought down in battle, the Kaurava princes were stunned and directionless, unable to decide their next move or recover their confidence.