Shloka 48
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
पित्रा ह्ुक्त: प्रसन्नेन नाकामस्त्वं मरिष्यसि | राजन! भीष्मजीको मारनेवाला तो कोई है ही नहीं; क्योंकि उनके पिताने प्रसन्न होकर उन्हें यह वरदान दिया है कि तुम अपनी इच्छाके बिना नहीं मरोगे ।। ४७ ह ।। ब्रह्मर्षेश्न भरद्वाजाद् द्रोणो द्रोण्यामजायत
pitṛā hy uktaḥ prasannena nākāmas tvaṃ mariṣyasi | rājan! bhīṣmajī ko māraṇevālā to koī hai hī nahīṃ; kyoṃki unke pitā ne prasanna hokar unheṃ yah varadān diyā hai ki tum apnī icchā ke binā nahīṃ maroge ||
“His father, pleased with him, granted this boon: ‘You shall not die against your own will.’ Therefore no one can slay Bhīṣma.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power in the epic is not only physical; it is also moral and metaphysical. A boon like ‘death at will’ frames mortality as something governed by inner resolve and dharma-bound choice, reminding readers that outcomes in war depend on vows, blessings, and ethical conditions—not merely weapons.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Duryodhana reassures his side by asserting Bhishma’s invincibility: since Bhishma has a boon to die only when he chooses, no opponent can truly ‘kill’ him unless the conditions align with Bhishma’s own will.