Shloka 31
Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)
एवं ब्रुवन्तस्ते सर्वे प्रतिरुध्य रणाजिरम् । न्यासयांचक्रिरे शस्त्र पितरो भूगुनन्दनम्,इस प्रकार कहते हुए उन सब लोगोंने रणस्थलीको घेर लिया और पितरोंने भृूगुनन्दन परशुरामसे अस्त्र-शस्त्र रखवा दिया
evaṁ bruvantas te sarve pratirudhya raṇājiram | nyāsayāṁ cakrire śastraṁ pitaro bhṛgunandanam ||
As they all spoke thus, they blocked off the battlefield on every side; and the Pitṛs compelled Bhṛgu’s descendant, Paraśurāma, to lay down his weapons—checking the rise of violence and asserting the authority of ancestral, dharmic counsel over personal wrath and martial pride.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a warrior’s world, dharma includes restraint: when anger and pride threaten to intensify violence, higher moral authority—here symbolized by the Pitṛs—can legitimately intervene to halt bloodshed and compel the laying down of arms.
After speaking, the assembled beings surround and block the battlefield, and the Pitṛs force Paraśurāma (Bhṛgu’s descendant) to put aside his weapons, preventing the fight from continuing.