Shloka 40
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
व्रियतां च वर: पार्थ किमस्मत्तो5भिकड्क्षसि । एवंगते महाराज न तवास्ति पराजय:,पार्थ! वर माँगो। तुम मुझसे क्या चाहते हो? महाराज! ऐसी स्थितिमें तुम्हारी पराजय नहीं होगी
vriyatāṁ ca varaḥ pārtha kim asmatto ’bhikāṅkṣasi | evaṁgate mahārāja na tavāsti parājayaḥ |
Bhīṣma said: “O Pārtha, choose a boon—what do you desire from me? O great king, now that matters have come to this, there will be no defeat for you.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, dharma expresses itself through truthfulness, honor, and keeping one’s word: Bhīṣma, though fighting for the Kauravas by vow, still upholds a warrior’s integrity by offering a boon and acknowledging the moral and strategic inevitability of the outcome.
Bhīṣma addresses Pārtha and invites him to ask for a boon, stating that given the present situation the addressed king will not face defeat—signaling a decisive shift in the battle’s trajectory and Bhīṣma’s recognition of the approaching resolution.