Shloka 866
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
मुहूर्त चिन्तयामास बाष्पशोकसमाकुल: । अपने भाइयोंके मारे जानेसे राजा दुर्योधन अत्यन्त दीन हो रहा था। वह नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाता हुआ शोकसे व्याकुल हो दो घड़ीतक भारी चिन्तामें पड़ा रहा
muhūrtaṁ cintayāmāsa bāṣpa-śoka-samākulaḥ | apne bhrātṝṇāṁ māre jāne se rājā duryodhana atyanta dīna ho rahā thā | sa netrābhyāṁ aśrūṇi sravan śokena vyākulaḥ ho dvighaṭikā-paryantaṁ gurvīṁ cintāṁ gataḥ |
Sañjaya said: Overwhelmed by tears and grief, he remained absorbed in thought for a while. King Duryodhana, crushed by the killing of his brothers, sank into deep dejection; his eyes streamed with tears, and, shaken by sorrow, he stayed for about two ghaṭikās in heavy, brooding anxiety—an image of how war’s chosen path returns as personal ruin and moral burden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of war: choices driven by ambition and adharma culminate in intimate loss, and even a powerful king is reduced to helpless grief—showing how violence rebounds as suffering and moral burden.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, after his brothers have been killed, breaks down in sorrow. He weeps and remains silently absorbed in heavy thought for a significant stretch of time (about two ghaṭikās).