Shloka 9
Gautama–Yama Saṃvāda: Mātṛ-Pitṛ-Ṛṇa (Debt to Parents) and Śubha-Loka Attainment
बलेन महता गुप्त: सामात्य: सावरोधन: । मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान्
balena mahatā guptaḥ sāmātyaḥ sāvarodhanaḥ | mṛgas tu viddho bāṇena mayā sarati śalyavān ||
Bhishma dijo: «Iba protegido por una gran fuerza y avanzaba con mis ministros y con el séquito del gineceo. Sin embargo, un ciervo al que herí con una flecha huyó de aquí, llevando aún la flecha clavada en su cuerpo».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when surrounded by power and protection, one remains accountable for the harm one causes; the image of the wounded deer fleeing with the arrow underscores the ethical weight of violence and its lingering consequences.
Bhishma recounts traveling with a large armed escort, accompanied by ministers and the inner household, when a deer he had shot escapes, still carrying the arrow—setting up the circumstances for what follows in the episode.