Shloka 21
न त्वेवोत्सादनीया मे पाण्डो: पुत्रा जनाधिप । तस्माद् योधान् हनिष्यामि प्रयोगेणायुतं सदा,परंतु जनेश्वर! मैं पाण्डुके पुत्रोंकी किसी तरह हत्या नहीं करूँगा। कुरुनन्दन! यदि पाण्डव इस युद्धमें मुझे पहले ही नहीं मार डालेंगे तो मैं अपने अस्त्रोंके प्रयोगद्वारा प्रतिदिन उनके पक्षके दस हजार योद्धाओंका वध करता रहूँगा, मैं इस प्रकार इनकी सेनाका संहार करूँगा
na tvevotsādanīyā me pāṇḍoḥ putrā janādhipa | tasmād yodhān haniṣyāmi prayogeṇāyutaṃ sadā ||
Bhishma said: “Yet, O lord of men, the sons of Pandu are not to be exterminated by me. Therefore, I shall instead, by the disciplined use of my weapons, continually slay ten thousand warriors in battle. Thus will I bring about the destruction of their army—without committing myself to the total killing of the Pandavas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, Bhishma articulates a self-imposed ethical boundary: he will fight and cause heavy losses, yet refuses to pursue the total extermination of Pandu’s sons. The verse highlights restraint, proportionality, and the tension between martial duty and personal vows/values.
Bhishma addresses the king (likely Dhritarashtra) and declares his intention for the coming conflict: he will not kill the Pandavas themselves, but will use his weapons to destroy large numbers of their supporting warriors daily, thereby weakening their forces while sparing the principal targets.