Shloka 1
Dvīpa–Sāgara–Parvata Varṇana and Svarbhānu
Rāhu) Graha-pramāṇa (Dvīpas, Oceans, Mountains, and Astral Measures
निज जा धन #* (श्रीमद्धगवदगीतापर्व) त्रयोदशो 5 ध्याय: संजयका युद्धभूमिसे लौटकर धृतराष्ट्रको भीष्मकी मृत्युका समाचार सुनाना वैशम्पायन उवाच अथ गावल्गणिदिंद्वान् संयुगादेत्य भारत । प्रत्यक्षदर्शी सर्वस्य भूतभव्यभविष्यवित्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--भरतनन्दन! तदनन्तर एक दिनकी बात है कि भूत, वर्तमान और भविष्यके ज्ञाता एवं सब घटनाओंको प्रत्यक्ष देखनेवाले गवल्गणपुत्र विद्वान् संजयने युद्धभूमिसे लौटकर सहसा चिन्तामग्न धृतराष्ट्रके पास जा अत्यन्त दुःखी होकर भरतवंशियोंके पितामह भीष्मके युद्धभूमिमें मारे जानेका समाचार बताया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | atha gāvalgaṇir vidvān saṃyugād etya bhārata | pratyakṣadarśī sarvasya bhūtabhavyabhaviṣyavit ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, O descendant of Bharata, the learned Saṃjaya, son of Gāvalgaṇa—who could directly perceive all that occurred and who knew what had been, what is, and what will be—returned from the battlefield. Coming to the grief-stricken Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he conveyed the crushing news that Bhīṣma, the grandsire of the Bharatas, had been struck down on the field of war. The verse frames the war not merely as a clash of arms but as a moral catastrophe whose consequences must be faced by those bound by attachment, duty, and blindness—literal and ethical.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war’s consequences: even the mightiest and most revered (Bhīṣma) can fall, and those responsible must confront the truth. It also underscores the role of truthful witnessing (Saṃjaya) in bringing reality to a ruler clouded by attachment and moral blindness (Dhṛtarāṣṭra).
Saṃjaya, described as a direct witness and knower of past, present, and future, returns from the battlefield and reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the devastating news that Bhīṣma has been struck down in the war.