Shloka 12

Devanagari script

चिन्तयित्वा महाबाहु: पिता देवव्रतस्तव । अभ्याशस्थं महाराज पाण्डवं वाक्यमब्रवीत्‌,अब वे रफणक्षेत्रमें सम्मुख रहकर शीघ्र ही अपने वधकी इच्छा करने लगे। महाराज! आपके ताऊ महाबाहु देवव्रतने यह सोचकर कि अब मैं संग्राममें बहुसंख्यक श्रेष्ठ मानवोंका वध न करूँ, अपने निकटवर्ती पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठटिरसे इस प्रकार बोले--

Transliteration

cintayitvā mahābāhuḥ pitā devavratas tava | abhyāśasthaṃ mahārāja pāṇḍavaṃ vākyam abravīt ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Having reflected, your elder Devavrata (Bhīṣma), the mighty-armed one, addressed the Pāṇḍava who was standing near him. O King, thinking, ‘Let me not, in this battle, bring about the slaughter of countless excellent men,’ he spoke words to Yudhiṣṭhira—signaling a turn from sheer martial success toward restraint and responsibility amid war.”

Word by Word

• {'cintayitvā': 'having thought, having reflected', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• a heroic epithet', 'pitā': 'father (here: your father/elder, used honorifically for Bhīṣma in relation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'devavrataḥ': 'Devavrata

• Bhīṣma’s personal name', 'tava': 'your', 'abhyāśastham': 'standing near

• stationed close by', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'pāṇḍavam': 'the Pāṇḍava (here: Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'vākyam': 'speech, words', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Devavrata (Bhīṣma)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kurukṣetra (battlefield context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a righteous war, a leader must reflect on the moral cost of violence. Bhīṣma’s thought—avoiding the needless killing of many worthy men—highlights dharmic restraint and accountability, not merely victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Devavrata), after reflecting, approaches and speaks to the nearby Pāṇḍava—understood as Yudhiṣṭhira—setting up counsel that frames the battle in ethical terms.