Shloka 21
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
राजेन्द्र! जिस समय गंगानन्दन भीष्म रथसे गिरे थे, उस समय सूर्य पश्चिम दिशामें छल चुके थे। यद्यपि महात्मा गंगानन्दन भीष्मने उन सबको युद्ध बंद कर देनेकी सलाह दी थी, तथापि कालसे विवेकशक्ति नष्ट हो जानेके कारण वे भरतश्रेष्ठ क्षत्रिय उनके हितकर वचनकी अवहेलना करके अमर्षके वशीभूत हो हाथोंमें अस्त्र-शस्त्र लिये तुरंत ही युद्धके लिये निकल पड़े
rājendra! yasmin samaye gaṅgānandanaḥ bhīṣmaḥ rathāt patitaḥ, tasmin samaye sūryaḥ paścima-diśi astaṃ gataḥ. yadyapi mahātmā gaṅgānandanaḥ bhīṣmaḥ teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ yuddhaṃ viramayitum upadiśya hitam avadat, tathāpi kālena viveka-śaktiḥ naṣṭā bhūtvā te bharata-śreṣṭhāḥ kṣatriyāḥ tasya hitakara-vacanaṃ avajñāya amarṣa-vaśībhūtāḥ hastayoḥ astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca gṛhītvā sadya eva yuddhāya niṣkrāntāḥ.
Sanjaya said: O king, when Bhishma, the son of the Ganga, fell from his chariot, the sun had already set in the western quarter. Though that great-souled Bhishma urged everyone to cease fighting and spoke words meant for their welfare, time had robbed them of discernment. Those foremost Kshatriyas of Bharata’s line disregarded his beneficial counsel and, driven by resentment, immediately rushed out for battle with weapons in hand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wise elders offer welfare-oriented counsel, anger and the pressure of Time (kāla) can eclipse discernment (viveka). Ethical failure here is not ignorance of the good, but the willful disregard of it under the sway of resentment.
After Bhishma (Ganga’s son) has fallen and evening has come, he advises stopping the fighting. However, the warriors—overcome by anger and lacking judgment—ignore him and immediately go out again to fight with weapons.