Shloka 41
मयि जीवति राज्यं कः सम्प्रशासेत् पुमानिह । मावमंस्था वचो महां शममिच्छामि व: सदा,मेरे जीते-जी मेरी इच्छाके विरुद्ध दूसरा कौन पुरुष यहाँ राज्य-शासन कर सकता है? ऐसा समझकर मेरे कथनकी अवहेलना न करो। मैं सदा तुमलोगोंमें शान्ति बनी रहनेकी शुभ कामना करता हूँ
mayi jīvati rājyaṁ kaḥ sampraśāset pumān iha | māvamamsthā vaco mahān śamam icchāmi vaḥ sadā ||
Bhīṣma said: “So long as I am alive, what man here could presume to govern the kingdom against my will? Therefore do not disregard my words. I continually desire that peace and concord be maintained among you.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority must be exercised to restrain disorder, and elders’ counsel should be heeded when it aims at śama (peace). Bhīṣma frames his authority as a means to prevent reckless governance and to preserve concord.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Bhīṣma asserts that while he lives no one should override his will in matters of rule, and he urges the parties not to dismiss his counsel, emphasizing his constant wish for peace among them.