Shloka 9
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
नमो धर्माय महते धर्मो धारयति प्रजा: । एतद् धनंजयो वाच्यो नित्योद्युक्तो वृकोदर:
namo dharmāya mahate dharmo dhārayati prajāḥ | etad dhanaṃjayo vācyo nityodyukto vṛkodaraḥ ||
Salutation to the great Dharma; for Dharma upholds all beings and the whole community. Convey this message to Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), and also to Vṛkodara (Bhīma), who is ever ready for action: the fitting moment has come for that very purpose for which a kṣatriya woman bears a son—steadfast men do not lose their ardor once enmity has been joined.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial resolve within an ethical horizon: Dharma is the sustaining principle of society, and when conflict has become unavoidable, a kṣatriya’s duty is to act with steady courage rather than lapse into discouragement.
A speaker identified as 'the son' offers reverence to Dharma and instructs that a message be delivered to Arjuna and Bhīma—urging constant readiness and affirming that the decisive moment for kṣatriya action has arrived.