Shloka 40
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow
निवर्तमान त॑ दृष्टवा राजान: सर्व एव ते । प्रेक्षका: समपद्यन्त भीष्मशाल्वसमागमे,उन्हें लौटते देख सब राजा भीष्म और शाल्वके युद्धमें कुछ भाग न लेकर केवल दर्शक बन गये
nivartamānān dṛṣṭvā rājānaḥ sarva eva te | prekṣakāḥ samapadyanta bhīṣmaśālvasamāgame ||
তেওঁ ঘূৰি অহা দেখি সেই সকলো ৰজা যুঁজত অংশ নলৈ ভীষ্ম-শাল্বৰ সংঘাতত কেৱল দৰ্শক হৈ ৰ’ল।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights restraint in conflict: leaders may uphold order by not multiplying violence, allowing a contest to remain limited rather than turning into a wider war.
As some withdraw, the assembled kings do not intervene; they stand aside as spectators while the confrontation proceeds specifically between Bhīṣma and Śālva.