Shloka 11
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
ध्रुवं विनाश: सम्प्राप्त: पुत्राणां मम संजय । मैं ऐसे किसी वीरको नहीं देखता, जो रणक्षेत्रमें मेरे पुत्रोंकी रक्षा कर सके। संजय! अवश्य ही मेरे पुत्रोंक विनाशकी घड़ी आ पहुँची है || १० इ ।। तस्मान्मे कारणं सूत शक्ति चैव विशेषत:
dhruvaṁ vināśaḥ samprāptaḥ putrāṇāṁ mama sañjaya | naivaṁvidhaṁ vīraṁ paśyāmi yo raṇakṣetre mama putrān rakṣituṁ śaknoti | sañjaya niścitam eva mama putrāṇāṁ vināśakālo ’bhyāgataḥ || tasmān me kāraṇaṁ sūta śaktiṁ caiva viśeṣataḥ |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, the ruin of my sons has surely arrived. I see no warrior of such power who could protect my sons on the battlefield. Therefore, Sañjaya, the hour of their destruction has certainly come. So tell me, O charioteer, the cause of this—and especially, the true strength behind it.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic clarity that arises too late: attachment and adharma-driven choices culminate in inevitable consequences. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s fear and fatalism underscore how moral blindness in leadership leads to ruin, and how recognizing ‘cause’ and ‘true strength’ is essential—yet often sought only when collapse is imminent.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the unfolding events of the Kurukṣetra war through Sañjaya, expresses certainty that his sons are doomed. He admits he sees no warrior capable of protecting them in battle and asks Sañjaya to explain the cause of this impending destruction and the particular power responsible.