Shloka 19
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
वन॑ यास्यामि दुर्धर्ष श्रेयो वै तत्र मे गतम् । न युद्ध रोचते कृष्ण हन्ति भीष्मो हि न: सदा,“दुर्धर्ष वीर श्रीकृष्ण! अब मैं वनको चला जाऊँगा। मेरे लिये वनमें जाना ही कल्याणकारी होगा। मुझे युद्ध अच्छा नहीं लग रहा है; क्योंकि उसमें भीष्म सदा ही हमारे सैनिकोंका विनाश करते आ रहे हैं
vanaṁ yāsyāmi durdharṣa śreyo vai tatra me gatam | na yuddhaṁ rocate kṛṣṇa hanti bhīṣmo hi naḥ sadā ||
サンジャヤは言った。「おお不敗の御方、クリシュナよ、私は森へ入ろう。私にとっては、それこそが真にまさる道に思える。この戦は好まぬ、クリシュナよ。ビーシュマが絶えず我らの軍勢を、幾度となく滅ぼしているからだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-psychological crisis that prolonged violence produces: when a seemingly invincible warrior (Bhīṣma) repeatedly devastates one’s side, the mind seeks “śreyas” (the better good) not in escalation but in withdrawal. It frames retreat to the forest as a moral and existential alternative to participation in destructive conflict.
Sañjaya voices a loss of will for battle and proposes leaving for the forest, addressing Kṛṣṇa and citing Bhīṣma’s continual slaughter of their troops as the reason. The statement conveys collapsing morale and the perception that the battlefield has become untenable under Bhīṣma’s dominance.