Shloka 19
Amba’s Disclosure of Prior Choice (Śālva) and Appeal to Bhīṣma — Chapter 171
देवव्रतत्वं विज्ञाप्य पृथिवीं सर्वराजसु । नैव हन्यां स्त्रियं जातु न स्त्रीपूर्व कदाचन,सम्पूर्ण भूमण्डलमें समस्त राजाओंके यहाँ अपने देवव्रतस्वरूपकी ख्याति कराकर मैं कभी भी किसी स्त्रीको अथवा जो पहले स्त्री रहा हो, उस पुरुषको भी नहीं मार सकता
devavratatvaṁ vijñāpya pṛthivīṁ sarvarājasu | naiva hanyāṁ striyaṁ jātu na strīpūrvaṁ kadācana ||
পৃথিৱীৰ সকলো ৰজাৰ মাজত মোৰ দেৱব্ৰতত্ব প্ৰকাশ কৰি দিয়াৰ পিছত মই কেতিয়াও কোনো নাৰীক হত্যা কৰিব নোৱাৰোঁ; আৰু যি পূৰ্বে নাৰী আছিল, তেনে পুৰুষকো কোনো অৱস্থাতেই হত্যা কৰিব নোৱাৰোঁ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A warrior’s power is morally bounded: Bhīṣma presents his publicly known vow-identity (Devavrata) as an ethical constraint, refusing to kill women and also refusing to kill someone identified as having been formerly a woman, even if war pressures might suggest otherwise.
Bhīṣma is explaining the limits of what he will do in the coming conflict. He invokes his established reputation among all kings to emphasize that his conduct must remain consistent with his vow and with dharma, not merely with battlefield expediency.