भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
तस्माद् देववब्रतं भूयो वधोपायार्थमात्मन: । भवता सहिता: सर्वे प्रयाम मधुसूदन,अतः माधव! भीष्मजी मुझे राज्य और मन्त्र (हितकर सलाह) दोनों देंगे। इसलिये मधुसूदन! हम सब लोग पुनः आपके साथ देवव्रत भीष्मके पास उन्हींसे उनके वधका उपाय पूछने चलें
tasmād devavrataṁ bhūyo vadhopāyārtham ātmanaḥ | bhavatā sahitāḥ sarve prayāma madhusūdana ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Darum, o Madhusūdana, lasst uns alle noch einmal gehen, in deiner Begleitung, zu Devavrata (Bhīṣma), um das Mittel zu erfahren, wie er zu töten sei. Denn von ihm müssen wir den Rat erbitten, der unsere Sache sichert—so schmerzlich diese Notwendigkeit auch ist—damit der Krieg nach erkannter Strategie voranschreite und nicht aus blinder Wut.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Even in a righteous war, action should be guided by deliberate counsel and moral awareness. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a lawful, considered strategy—approaching the very elder they must oppose—showing that dharma involves restraint, consultation, and accountability, not mere victory-seeking.
On the battlefield context of Bhīṣma Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) and proposes that all of them go again to Bhīṣma (Devavrata) to ask for the means by which Bhīṣma may be brought down—seeking guidance from the grandsire himself regarding how he can be defeated.