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 ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang tidak dapat ditundukkan, wahai Kṛṣṇa, aku akan pergi ke rimba; bagiku, ke rimba itulah jalan yang lebih baik. Aku tidak lagi berkenan pada perang ini, wahai Kṛṣṇa, kerana Bhīṣma sentiasa memusnahkan bala tentera kita berulang-ulang kali.”
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.