Shloka 19
भीष्मसेनापत्याभिषेकः
Bhīṣma’s Appointment as Commander-in-Chief
अवध्यानां वध पश्यन् धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । निःश्वसन् भीमसेनं च विजयं चेदमब्रवीत्
avadhyānāṁ vadhaṁ paśyan dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | niḥśvasan bhīmasenaṁ ca vijayaṁ cedam abravīt ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Als König Yudhiṣṭhira—Hüter des Dharma—das Schlachten derer sah, die nicht getötet werden sollten, seufzte er tief auf und richtete diese Worte an Bhīmasena und an Vijaya.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when conflict seems unavoidable, dharma demands discernment about who may be harmed; Yudhiṣṭhira’s sigh signals that righteous leadership includes moral accountability and grief over transgression, not mere pursuit of victory.
The narrator reports Yudhiṣṭhira witnessing the killing of those deemed ‘avadhya’ (not fit to be slain). Distressed, he sighs and addresses Bhīma and a figure named Vijaya, preparing to give counsel or a response shaped by ethical concern.