Shloka 183
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौष॑ चापगेयेन संख्ये स्वयं मृत्युं विहितं धार्मिकेण । तच्चाकार्षु: पाण्डवेया: प्रह्ृष्टा- स््तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि परम धार्मिक गंगानन्दन भीष्मने युद्धभूमिमें पाण्डवोंको अपनी मृत्युका उपाय स्वयं बता दिया और पाण्डवोंने प्रसन्न होकर उनकी उस आज्ञाका पालन किया। संजय! तभी मुझे विजयकी आशा नहीं रही
yadāśrauṣa cāpageyena saṅkhye svayaṃ mṛtyuṃ vihitaṃ dhārmikeṇa | taccākārṣuḥ pāṇḍaveyāḥ prahṛṣṭās tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya ||
Quando ouvi que, no campo de batalha, o supremamente justo Bhīṣma—filho do Gaṅgā—revelara ele mesmo aos Pāṇḍavas o meio de provocar a própria morte, e que os Pāṇḍavas, jubilosos, cumpriram sua instrução, então, Sañjaya, já não conservei esperança alguma de vitória. O momento expõe o duro paradoxo ético da guerra: até o mais poderoso guerreiro, preso ao dharma e aos votos, pode escolher a verdade e o caminho correto acima do êxito partidário; e essa retidão pode decidir o desfecho do conflito.
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma can override factional loyalty: a righteous warrior may reveal even self-harming truth if it serves a higher moral order. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical world, victory is not merely a matter of strength but of alignment with dharma, and righteousness itself can become the decisive force.
The speaker reports hearing that Bhīṣma (Gaṅgā’s son), on the battlefield, disclosed to the Pāṇḍavas the method by which he could be brought down. The Pāṇḍavas, pleased, acted on that instruction. On hearing this, the speaker tells Sañjaya that he lost hope of victory.