Shloka 9
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
समेत पार्थिव क्षत्रं वाराणस्यां नदीसुतः । कन्यार्थमाह्नयद् वीरो रथेनैकेन संयुगे,जिन कुरुकुलशिरोमणि वीरने कुरक्षेत्रमें महायुद्ध ठानकर हाथमें धनुष-बाण लिये बहुत दिनोंतक परशुरामजीके साथ युद्ध किया था, जिन वीर गंगा-नन्दन भीष्मने वाराणसीपुरीमें काशिराजकी कन्याओंके लिये युद्धका अवसर उपस्थित होनेपर एकमात्र रथके द्वारा वहाँ एकत्र हुए समस्त क्षत्रिय नरेशोंको ललकारा था तथा जिन्होंने दुर्जय चक्रवर्ती राजा उग्रायुधको अपने अस्त्रोंके प्रतापसे दग्ध कर दिया था, उन्हींको मैंने युद्धमें मरवा डाला
sametaṃ pārthiva-kṣatraṃ vārāṇasyāṃ nadī-sutaḥ | kanyārtham āhnayad vīro rathenaikena saṃyuge ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ang bayaning anak ng ilog (Bhīṣma), alang-alang sa mga dalaga, ay hinamon sa labanan ang lahat ng nagkatipong mga hari at mandirigma sa Vārāṇasī—nag-iisa sa iisang karwahe. Ganyan ang kanyang lakas at paninindigan; at gayunman, siya ring iyon ang aking ipinahamak sa digmaan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: even when battle is fought under kṣatriya codes, the slaying of a supremely virtuous and formidable elder like Bhīṣma can leave a righteous person burdened with remorse. It frames heroism and duty alongside accountability and inner moral reckoning.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls Bhīṣma’s famed exploit at Vārāṇasī—challenging the gathered kings alone on a single chariot for the sake of the princesses—and contrasts that greatness with the tragic outcome of the Kurukṣetra war, where Bhīṣma was brought down, an event Yudhiṣṭhira feels responsible for.