Shloka 20
तस्मिन् हि पुरुषव्याप्रे कर्मभि: स्वैर्दिवं गते । भविष्यति मही पार्थ नष्टचन्द्रेव शर्वरी,पार्थ! जब पुरुषसिंह भीष्म अपने कर्मोके अनुसार स्वर्गलोकमें चले जायँगे, उस समय यह पृथ्वी अमावास्याकी रात्रिके समान श्रीहीन हो जायगी
tasmin hi puruṣavyāpre karmabhiḥ svair divaṃ gate | bhaviṣyati mahī pārtha naṣṭacandreva śarvarī ||
“O Pārtha, kapag ang makapangyarihang lalaking iyon—si Bhīṣma—ay umalis patungong langit ayon sa sarili niyang mga gawa, ang daigdig na ito’y mawawalan ng ningning, gaya ng gabing naglaho ang buwan.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a society’s radiance depends not only on power but on dharmic excellence: when a great, righteous figure departs according to his earned merit, the world feels diminished—like a moonless night—highlighting the ethical value of virtuous leadership and the fragility of worldly stability.
Vāsudeva addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), foretelling that when the great hero (understood in context as Bhīṣma) departs to heaven due to his own karmic merit, the earth will seem stripped of splendor, emphasizing the magnitude of Bhīṣma’s presence and the impending sense of loss.