Shloka 6
Dvīpa–Sāgara–Parvata Varṇana and Svarbhānu
Rāhu) Graha-pramāṇa (Dvīpas, Oceans, Mountains, and Astral Measures
यः सर्वान् पृथिवीपालान् समवेतान् महामृथे । जिगायैकरथेनैव काशिपूर्या महारथ:,जिन महारथी वीर भीष्मने काशिराजकी नगरीमें एकत्र हुए समस्त भूपालोंको अकेला ही रथपर बैठकर महान् युद्धमें पराजित कर दिया था, जिन्होंने रणभूमिमें जमदग्निनन्दन परशुरामजीके साथ निर्भय होकर युद्ध किया था और जिन्हें परशुरामजी भी मार न सके, वे ही भीष्म आज शिखण्डीके हाथसे मारे गये
sañjaya uvāca | yaḥ sarvān pṛthivīpālān samavetān mahāmṛdhe | jigāya ekarathenaiva kāśipūryā mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya said: He—the great chariot-warrior—who in the mighty battle at Kāśī’s city defeated, seated alone upon a single chariot, all the assembled kings who ruled the earth: that very Bhīṣma has today been struck down through Śikhaṇḍin’s agency. (The verse evokes the moral shock that one once unconquered by hosts of kings is now felled in the present war.)
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of worldly power and martial glory: even the mightiest warrior, once capable of defeating many kings alone, can fall when time, circumstance, and dharma’s complex workings converge. It invites reflection on humility and the tragic cost of war.
Sañjaya recalls Bhīṣma’s earlier feat at Kāśī—defeating the assembled kings single-handedly—to heighten the dramatic contrast with the present moment in the Kurukṣetra war, where Bhīṣma is brought down (in the broader episode, through Śikhaṇḍin’s involvement).