Shloka 20
Kṛṣṇa’s Dhyāna and the Prompt to Question Bhīṣma (कृष्णध्यानं भीष्मप्रश्नप्रेरणा च)
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 ||
“Hỡi Pārtha, khi bậc trượng phu hùng mãnh ấy—Bhīṣma—do chính nghiệp của mình mà rời cõi thế để lên thiên giới, thì mặt đất này sẽ mất hết vẻ huy hoàng, như đêm tối không còn trăng.”
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.