Shloka 114
अवध्ये शन्तनो: पुत्रे हते भीष्मे महौजसि । अभाव: सहसा राजन् कुरुराजस्य तर्कित:
avadhye śantanoḥ putre hate bhīṣme mahaujasi | abhāvaḥ sahasā rājan kururājasya tarkitaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, apabila Bhīṣma—putera Śantanu yang perkasa, yang disangka mustahil dapat dibunuh—namun tetap juga ditumbangkan, maka serta-merta timbul kesimpulan dalam kalangan semua orang: bahawa kebinasaan raja Kuru (Duryodhana) telah menjadi sesuatu yang tidak dapat dielakkan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the seemingly invincible can fall when the moral and strategic balance shifts; Bhīṣma’s fall becomes a sign that adharma-backed power is unstable and that consequences (abhāva, downfall) ripen swiftly once a pivotal protector is removed.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma—long regarded as unslayable—has been brought down in battle. From this shocking event, the warriors infer that Duryodhana’s destruction is now unavoidable, since the Kauravas have lost their foremost pillar of strength.