Shloka 20
Kṛṣṇa’s Dhyāna and the Prompt to Question Bhīṣma (कृष्णध्यानं भीष्मप्रश्नप्रेरणा च)
तस्मिन् हि पुरुषव्याप्रे कर्मभि: स्वैर्दिवं गते । भविष्यति मही पार्थ नष्टचन्द्रेव शर्वरी
tasmin hi puruṣavyāpre karmabhiḥ svair divaṃ gate | bhaviṣyati mahī pārtha naṣṭacandreva śarvarī ||
“Wahai Pārtha, apabila insan perkasa itu—Bhīṣma—telah, menurut amalnya sendiri, berangkat ke syurga, maka bumi ini akan kehilangan seri, laksana malam ketika bulan lenyap.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a society’s radiance depends not only on power but on dharmic excellence: when a great, righteous figure departs according to his earned merit, the world feels diminished—like a moonless night—highlighting the ethical value of virtuous leadership and the fragility of worldly stability.
Vāsudeva addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), foretelling that when the great hero (understood in context as Bhīṣma) departs to heaven due to his own karmic merit, the earth will seem stripped of splendor, emphasizing the magnitude of Bhīṣma’s presence and the impending sense of loss.