Shloka 88

Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहा भारते भीष्मपर्वणि भीष्मवधपर्वणि सुनाभादिधृतराष्ट्रपुत्रवधे अष्टाशीतितमो<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate bhīṣmaparvaṇi bhīṣmavadhaparvaṇi sunābhādidhṛtarāṣṭraputravadhe aṣṭāśītitamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ដូច្នេះ ក្នុង «មហាភារត» ដ៏គួរគោរព ក្នុង «ភីෂ្មបರ್ವ» ហើយជាពិសេសក្នុងផ្នែកអំពីការសម្លាប់ភីષ្ម បញ្ចប់ជំពូកទី៨៨ ដែលពិពណ៌នាអំពីការសម្លាប់សុនាភ និងកូនៗរបស់ធ្រិតរាស្ត្រផ្សេងៗទៀត។ នេះជាកថាបញ្ចប់ ដែលសម្គាល់ការបិទបញ្ចប់នៃឯកតានិទានមួយ ដែលបង្ហាញទម្ងន់ធ្ងន់នៃធម៌ក្នុងសង្គ្រាម តាមរយៈការធ្លាក់ចុះនៃព្រះរាជបុត្រ និងចលនាដ៏មិនអាចជៀសផុតនៃវាសនានៅលើសមរភូមិ។

Word by Word

इतिthus; end-quotation marker

श्रीauspiciousness; venerable (honorific)

महाभारतेin the Mahābhārata

भीष्मपर्वणिin the Bhīṣma-parvan

भीष्मवधपर्वणिin the section (parvan) on the slaying of Bhīṣma

सुनाभादिधृतराष्ट्रपुत्रवधेin (the account of) the killing of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons beginning with Sunābha

अष्टाशीतितमःeighty-eighth

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahābhārata

Bhīṣma

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Sunābha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the ethical weight of the war narrative by formally closing a chapter centered on deaths among Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, reminding the reader of the irreversible consequences of adharma-driven conflict and the tragic cost borne by royal lineages.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is the chapter-ending colophon: Sañjaya’s narration marks the conclusion of the eighty-eighth chapter within Bhīṣma Parva, in the sub-section dealing with Bhīṣma’s slaying, and notes that the chapter’s content included the killing of Sunābha and other sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.