Shloka 60
Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)
दुर्योधन तु शोचामि प्रेत्य लोके5पि दुर्मतिम् । यत्कृते पृथिवी सर्वा विनष्टा सहयद्विपा
duryodhanaṃ tu śocāmi pretya loke 'pi durmatim | yatkṛte pṛthivī sarvā vinaṣṭā sahayadvipā ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Ta thương xót cho Duryodhana—dẫu hắn đã đi sang cõi bên kia—vì tâm trí lệch lạc của hắn. Vì hắn mà cả cõi đất này bị tàn phá, cùng với những đàn voi chiến (và mọi lực lượng nương theo chúng).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after a wrongdoer’s death, the wise may grieve—not out of approval, but because a corrupted intellect can bring vast, irreversible harm to society. The verse stresses moral responsibility: one person’s adharma can devastate an entire realm.
Bhishma, speaking in the Anushasana Parva, reflects on the catastrophic outcome of the Kurukshetra war. He states that he mourns Duryodhana even in the afterlife, because Duryodhana’s misguided choices became the cause of the earth’s ruin, including the destruction of great war resources such as elephant forces.