Shloka 33
दिनानि दश भीष्मेण निघ्नता तावकं बलम्
dināni daśa bhīṣmeṇa nighnatā tāvakaṃ balam
Sañjaya disse: Por dez dias, enquanto Bhīṣma abatia os nossos, o exército dos Kaurava era também, pouco a pouco, ceifado—imagem de como até uma hoste poderosa pode desfazer-se quando é conduzida ao adharma e exposta à força implacável do dever atado ao voto de um grande guerreiro.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line underscores the moral logic of the epic: power and numbers do not guarantee victory when a cause is ethically compromised; sustained violence, even when performed as a warrior’s duty, reveals the heavy cost of adharma and flawed leadership.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that for ten days Bhīṣma was actively fighting and killing on the battlefield, during which the Kaurava forces were being worn down—recalling the early phase of the Kurukṣetra war dominated by Bhīṣma’s command.