Shloka 22
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
त॑ हतं समरे भीष्म॑ं महारथकुलोदितम् | संजयाचक्ष्व मे वीरं येन शर्म न विद्यहे,जो रणभूमिमें महाबली जमदग्निनन्दन परशुरामसे भी टक्कर लेनेकी सदा इच्छा रखते थे, जिनका पराक्रम इन्द्रके समान था और परशुरामजी भी जिन्हें पराजित न कर सके थे; संजय! महारथियोंके कुलमें प्रकट हुए वे महावीर भीष्म समरभूमिमें किस प्रकार मारे गये, यह मुझे बताओ; क्योंकि मुझे शान्ति नहीं मिल रही है
taṁ hataṁ samare bhīṣmaṁ mahāratha-kuloditam | sañjayācakṣva me vīraṁ yena śarma na vidyate ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Dize-me, Sañjaya, como foi morto em combate o herói Bhīṣma—surgido da linhagem dos grandes guerreiros de carro. Não encontro paz; por isso narra-me a queda daquele poderoso, cujo valor era como o de Indra e que desejava medir-se até mesmo com Paraśurāma, filho de Jamadagni—aquele a quem nem Paraśurāma conseguiu vencer.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of war and the anguish of attachment: even the fall of a seemingly invincible hero brings no solace to those bound by grief and responsibility. It also underscores the epic’s ethic of truthful witnessing—Sañjaya is asked to narrate events clearly so that understanding may arise amid sorrow.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, distressed and unable to find peace, asks Sañjaya to explain how Bhīṣma—renowned as a supreme warrior, comparable in valor to Indra and famed for his rivalry with Paraśurāma—could have been killed on the battlefield.