Shloka 28
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
त॑ विनाशं मनुष्येन्द्र नरवारणवाजिनाम् । नामृष्यत तदा भीष्म: सैन्यघातं रणे परै:,नरेन्द्र! उस समय मनुष्यों, हाथियों और घोड़ोंक उस विनाशको--रणक्षेत्रमें शत्रुओंद्वारा किये जानेवाले अपनी सेनाके संहारको भीष्मजी नहीं सह सके
taṁ vināśaṁ manuṣyendra naravāraṇavājinām | nāmṛṣyata tadā bhīṣmaḥ sainyaghātaṁ raṇe paraiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai tuan manusia, pada saat itu Bhīṣma tidak sanggup menahan kehancuran manusia, gajah, dan kuda—pembantaian bala tenteranya sendiri di medan perang oleh musuh.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of warfare: even a disciplined, duty-bound commander like Bhīṣma is morally and emotionally strained when he witnesses indiscriminate devastation—especially the destruction of those under his protection. It points to the tension between kṣatriya duty and compassion for living beings.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, seeing his own side’s forces—men, elephants, and horses—being cut down by the enemy in battle, could not bear the sight. This sets the tone for Bhīṣma’s response and the escalating intensity of the conflict.