Shloka 22
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
अनादृत्य वच: पथ्यं गाड़ेयस्य महात्मन: । निर्ययुर्भरतश्रेष्ठा: शस्त्राण्यादाय सत्वरा:,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
anādṛtya vacaḥ pathyaṁ gāḍeyasya mahātmanaḥ | niryayur bharataśreṣṭhāḥ śastrāṇy ādāya satvarāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Disregarding the wholesome, beneficial counsel of the great-souled descendant of Gādī, the foremost of the Bharatas hurried out at once, taking up their weapons. Ethically, the verse highlights how, when passion and the pressure of time eclipse discernment, even good advice from a venerable elder is cast aside, and violence is chosen over restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even salutary counsel from a venerable authority should not be ignored; when anger and haste override discernment, one abandons dharma and rushes toward destructive action.
Sañjaya reports that the Bharata warriors, ignoring the beneficial advice of the great elder (named by the epithet gāḍeya), quickly take up weapons and sally forth to continue the fighting.