Shloka 1
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
अत--#कत चतुर्दशो 5 ध्याय: धृतराष्ट्रका विलाप करते हुए भीष्मजीके मारे जानेकी घटनाको विस्तारपूर्वक जाननेके लिये संजयसे प्रश्न करना धृतराष्ट उवाच कथं कुरूणामृषभो हतो भीष्म: शिखण्डिना । कथं रथात् स न्यपतत् पिता मे वासवोपम:,धृतराष्ट्र बोले--संजय! कुरुकुलके श्रेष्ठतम पुरुष मेरे पितृतुल्य भीष्म शिखण्डीके हाथसे कैसे मारे गये? वे इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी थे, वे रथसे कैसे गिरे?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | kathaṁ kurūṇām ṛṣabho hato bhīṣmaḥ śikhaṇḍinā | kathaṁ rathāt sa nyapatat pitā me vāsavopamaḥ ||
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच— कथं कुरूणामृषभो हतो भीष्मः शिखण्डिना? कथं रथात् स न्यपतत् पिता मे वासवोपमः?
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between reverence for a great elder and the harsh necessities of war: even the most venerable and mighty can be brought down through circumstance and strategy. It invites reflection on dharma in conflict—how outcomes in battle may hinge not only on strength but also on complex moral and personal histories.
After hearing of events on the battlefield, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya in detail about Bhīṣma’s fall. He asks specifically how Bhīṣma, the foremost Kuru warrior, could be slain with Śikhaṇḍin as the instrument, and how Bhīṣma came to fall from his chariot.