Shloka 9
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
कृतिन त॑ दुराधर्ष संजयास्य त्वमन्तिके । कथं शान्तनवं युद्धे पाण्डवा: प्रत्यवारयन्,जिन्होंने युद्धमें पाण्डवोंपर दुष्कर पराक्रम किया था तथा जो उनकी सेनाका निरन्तर संहार कर रहे थे, उन अस्त्रविद्याके ज्ञाता दुर्जय वीर भीष्मजीको जिन्होंने रोका है, वे कौन हैं? संजय! तुम तो उनके पास ही थे, पाण्डवोंने युद्धमें शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मको किस प्रकार आगे बढ़नेसे रोका?
Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca: Kṛtinaṁ taṁ durādharṣaṁ sañjayāsya tvam antike | Kathaṁ Śāntanavaṁ yuddhe Pāṇḍavāḥ pratyavārayan ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Sañjaya, tu estavas perto dele—dize-me. Como os Pāṇḍavas contiveram em batalha Bhīṣma, descendente de Śāntanu—Bhīṣma, hábil e inabordável, mestre das armas, que realizava feitos quase impossíveis e destruía sem cessar as suas forças? Por quem, e de que modo, foi ele impedido de avançar?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: even an invincible elder-warrior acting within his vow-bound duty can be opposed when the larger conflict demands it. It frames restraint of power as a crucial moral and strategic problem—how to limit destructive force without denying the warrior’s stature.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of Bhīṣma’s devastating advance against the Pāṇḍavas, questions Sañjaya (who witnessed events) about the specific means and persons by which Bhīṣma—Śāntanu’s descendant and a master of arms—was prevented from continuing his onslaught.