Shloka 19
Amba’s Disclosure of Prior Choice (Śālva) and Appeal to Bhīṣma — Chapter 171
देवव्रतत्वं विज्ञाप्य पृथिवीं सर्वराजसु । नैव हन्यां स्त्रियं जातु न स्त्रीपूर्व कदाचन
devavratatvaṁ vijñāpya pṛthivīṁ sarvarājasu | naiva hanyāṁ striyaṁ jātu na strīpūrvaṁ kadācana ||
Bhīṣma declares that, having made his identity and reputation as one bound by the vow (Devavrata) known among all the kings of the earth, he can never bring himself to kill a woman—nor, under any circumstance, a man who was formerly a woman. The statement frames his conduct in war as constrained by a publicly affirmed ethical vow, placing personal honor and dharma above tactical advantage.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A warrior’s power is morally bounded: Bhīṣma presents his publicly known vow-identity (Devavrata) as an ethical constraint, refusing to kill women and also refusing to kill someone identified as having been formerly a woman, even if war pressures might suggest otherwise.
Bhīṣma is explaining the limits of what he will do in the coming conflict. He invokes his established reputation among all kings to emphasize that his conduct must remain consistent with his vow and with dharma, not merely with battlefield expediency.