Shloka 4
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
पुत्रस्ते पृथिवीं जेता यशश्नास्य दिवं स्पृशेत् । हत्वा कुरूंश्व॒ संग्रामे वासुदेवसहायवान्
putras te pṛthivīṁ jetā yaśas cāsya divaṁ spṛśet | hatvā kurūṁś ca saṅgrāme vāsudeva-sahāyavān ||
The son born to you will conquer the earth; his fame will reach even heaven. With Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) as his ally, he will slay the Kuru foes in battle and restore the rightful share of his ancestral kingdom. The verse frames victory not as mere conquest but as the re-establishment of legitimate order through divinely guided support and valor in a dharmic war.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharmic kingship: rightful sovereignty is restored through valor aligned with justice, and success is strengthened by righteous counsel and divine support (Vāsudeva as ally). Glory (yaśas) is portrayed as the moral consequence of defending legitimate order, not merely winning territory.
A son is being foretold as a future world-conqueror whose fame will reach heaven. He will defeat the Kuru adversaries in war with Kṛṣṇa’s assistance and thereby recover the ancestral share of the kingdom, signaling an impending turn in the conflict’s outcome.