Shloka 5
Dvīpa–Sāgara–Parvata Varṇana and Svarbhānu
Rāhu) Graha-pramāṇa (Dvīpas, Oceans, Mountains, and Astral Measures
यस्य वीर्य समाश्रित्य यूत॑ पुत्रस्तवाकरोत् । स शेते निहतो राजन् संख्ये भीष्म: शिखण्डिना,राजन! आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने जिनके बाहुबलका भरोसा करके जूएका खेल किया था, वे भीष्म शिखण्डीके हाथों मारे जाकर रणभूमिमें शयन करते हैं
yasya vīryam samāśritya yūtaṁ putras tavākarot | sa śete nihato rājan saṅkhye bhīṣmaḥ śikhaṇḍinā ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, relying on whose martial prowess your son dared to stake everything in the gambling match—Bhīṣma now lies on the battlefield, slain in the clash by Śikhaṇḍin.” The verse underscores the moral reversal of war: confidence placed in sheer strength and worldly strategy cannot avert the consequences of adharma, and even the mightiest fall when the tide of destiny and ethical causality turns.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of power when it is used to support unrighteous aims: Duryodhana’s confidence in Bhīṣma’s strength did not secure lasting victory. Ethical causality (dharma/adharma) and the larger course of destiny in the war overturn mere reliance on force.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma—whose prowess the Kauravas counted on, even during the earlier dice-game crisis—has been struck down in battle and now lies on the field, brought down through Śikhaṇḍin’s agency.