Shloka 24
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
यदि ते5हमनुग्राह्मों भ्रातृभि: सह केशव । स्वधर्मस्याविरोधेन हितं व्याहर केशव,“केशव! यदि भाइयोंसहित मुझपर आपका अनुग्रह है तो मुझे स्वधर्मके अनुकूल कोई हितकारक सलाह दीजिये”
yadi te ’ham anugrāhyo bhrātṛbhiḥ saha keśava | svadharmasyāvirodhena hitaṃ vyāhara keśava ||
Sañjaya said: “O Keśava, if I am worthy of your favor—together with my brothers—then, without contradicting my own svadharma, speak to me what is truly beneficial.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical guidance as valid only when it aligns with svadharma: one should seek and accept counsel that promotes true welfare (hita) without violating one’s rightful duty and moral station.
Sañjaya addresses Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), requesting beneficial instruction. The request is qualified: the advice should be ‘without contradicting svadharma,’ indicating a moment of seeking principled direction amid the pressures of the war setting.