Shloka 7
स वरैश्छन्दितस्तेन नूपो वचनमत्रवीत् । सहस्रबाहुर्भूयां वै चमूमध्ये गृहेडन्यथा
sa varaiś chanditas tena nūpo vacanam abravīt | sahasrabāhur bhūyāṃ vai camūmadhye gṛhe ’nyathā ||
Bhishma said: Urged by that sage to choose boons, the king replied, “May I become thousand-armed in battle, in the midst of the army, but at home remain otherwise (with only two arms). Let all soldiers on the battlefield behold my thousand arms.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power should be bounded by dharma: extraordinary force may be sought for protecting and winning in righteous battle, but personal life should remain governed by restraint and normal ethical limits.
A sage invites the king to ask for boons. The king requests a miraculous form—thousand arms visible to the army in battle—while remaining ordinary at home, distinguishing public martial duty from private conduct.