Shloka 55
Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)
परासक्ते च वस्तस्मिन् कथमासीन्मनस्तदा । जैसे ग्वालेके बिना गौओंका समुदाय इधर-उधर भटकता फिरता है
jīvite 'py adya sāmarthyaṃ kim ivāsmāsu sañjaya |
持国王说道：“三阇耶，即便我们今日尚存于世，又还有什么力量可言？我们使我们的父亲毗湿摩——世间闻名的持法之人、威勇无双者——战死沙场，于是沉入悲恸之中，犹如旅人渴望渡河，却见自己的舟船沉没在深邃不可测的水里而痛彻心扉。”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral and strategic ruin can persist even in physical survival: when one’s actions destroy the very pillar of righteousness and protection (Bhīṣma), the remaining ‘life’ feels powerless. It underscores the ethical consequence of wrongdoing—strength is not merely bodily or numerical, but rooted in dharma, wise leadership, and inner steadiness.
After Bhīṣma has been brought down in the war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya in despair. He reflects that, despite being alive, the Kauravas have lost their effective power and morale because Bhīṣma—celebrated for righteousness and valor—has fallen, leaving them overwhelmed by grief like travelers who see their only means of crossing (a boat) sink in deep waters.