Shloka 9
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)
कथं सम्बन्धिना सार्ध न मे स्वाद विग्रहो महान् । इति संचिन्त्य मनसा देवतामर्चयत् तदा,अपने सम्बन्धीके साथ मेरा महान् युद्ध कैसे टल जाय--यह मन-ही-मन विचार करके उन्होंने देवताकी अर्चना आस्मभ कर दी
kathaṁ sambandhinā sārdha na me svād vigraho mahān | iti sañcintya manasā devatām arcayat tadā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wie kann dieser große Streit mit meinen eigenen Verwandten abgewendet werden?“ So in seinem Innern erwägend, begann er daraufhin, die Gottheit zu verehren, um einen Weg zu finden, den Krieg zu zügeln und Blutvergießen unter Angehörigen zu verhindern.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when war seems imminent, a dharmic person first searches for ways to prevent violence among kin—through reflection, self-restraint, and turning to higher principles (symbolized by worship of the deity) rather than rushing into hostility.
Bhīṣma inwardly worries about the prospect of a great war with his own relatives and, after contemplating how it might be avoided, begins worship/propitiation of a deity—indicating an attempt to seek divine guidance or auspicious means to avert the impending conflict.