Shloka 87
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
तदेतदार्ष माद्रेय प्रमाणं कर्तुमरहसि । असेश्व पूजा कर्तव्या सदा युद्धविशारदै:
tad etad ārṣaṃ mādreya pramāṇaṃ kartum arhasi | aśeṣvā pūjā kartavyā sadā yuddhaviśāradaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O son of Madri, you should accept this as authoritative, for it is the view taught by the seers. Therefore, those skilled in warfare should always perform worship of the sword—treating it with reverence as an instrument bound to duty and discipline.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma urges the listener to treat the seers’ instruction as a valid authority (pramāṇa) and to maintain continual reverence for the weapon of duty—symbolized by worship of the sword—so that power is exercised with restraint, responsibility, and dharmic awareness.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the Pandavas, Bhishma addresses a son of Madri and endorses a rishi-sanctioned practice: warriors skilled in battle should regularly honor their sword, affirming the sacred accountability attached to warfare.