Shloka 54
प्रहरिष्यन् प्रियं ब्रूयात् प्रहत्यैव प्रियोत्तरम् । असिनापि शिरश्छित्त्वा शोचेत च रुदेत च,“प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत होकर भी प्रिय वचन बोले, प्रहार करनेके पश्चात् भी प्रिय वाणी ही बोले, तलवारसे शत्रुका मस्तक काटकर भी उसके लिये शोक करे और रोये
praharīṣyan priyaṁ brūyāt prahatyaiva priyottaram | asināpi śiraś chittvā śocet ca rudet ca |
Bhīṣma teaches that even when one is poised to strike, one should speak words that are gentle and dear; even after striking, one should reply with kindly speech. Even if one has cut down an enemy—severing his head with a sword—one should still feel sorrow for that life and weep. The ethic is restraint and compassion amid unavoidable violence: harsh action may be compelled by duty, but cruelty of speech and heart is not.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when violence is undertaken as a matter of duty, one must preserve gentleness of speech and compassion of heart—avoiding cruelty, gloating, and harsh words; the ideal is disciplined force without hatred.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he describes the highest standard for a warrior: speak kindly before and after striking, and even after killing an enemy, grieve for the loss of life rather than exult.