Shloka 78

Bhīṣma-nipāta-saṃvāda — Sañjaya’s Report of Bhīṣma’s Fall (भीष्मनिपातसंवादः)

Devanagari script

|| यत्‌ कृतं तत्र संग्रामे भीष्मेण जयमिच्छता

Transliteration

yat kṛtaṃ tatra saṅgrāme bhīṣmeṇa jayam icchatā

Translation

持国王说道：“告诉我，在那场战斗中，一心求胜的毗湿摩做了些什么。”

Word by Word

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• कृतम्: done, performed
• कृतम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (कृत)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तत्र: there, in that place
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• संग्रामे: in the battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• भीष्मेण: by Bhishma
• भीष्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• जयम्: victory
• जयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इच्छता: wishing, desiring
• इच्छता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (इच्छत्)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma
• saṅgrāma (the battle)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a ruler’s responsibility to seek clear accounts of actions taken in war, especially by senior commanders; it frames victory as an explicit intention that must be examined in terms of conduct and consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about Bhīṣma’s conduct on the battlefield—what Bhīṣma did in the fighting while aiming at victory—prompting a report of events and decisions in the war.