Shloka 11
स क्षिप्रं वधमन्विच्छन्नात्मनो 5भिमुखो रणे । न हन्यां मानवश्रेष्ठान् संग्रामे सुबहुनिति
sa kṣipraṁ vadham anvicchann ātmano 'bhimukho raṇe | na hanyāṁ mānavaśreṣṭhān saṅgrāme subahūn iti |
Sañjaya dit : «Faisant face au combat, il se mit bientôt à rechercher sa propre mort. Pensant : “Puissé-je ne pas tuer tant d’hommes d’élite dans cette guerre”, le puissant Devavrata (Bhīṣma) s’adressa alors au fils de Pāṇḍu, Yudhiṣṭhira, qui se tenait près de lui, en ces termes.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within the duty-bound violence of war, the verse highlights an ethical impulse toward restraint: Bhīṣma reflects on limiting harm to “many excellent men,” showing that dharma in conflict includes moral deliberation, not mere aggression.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, facing the battle, turns toward a death-seeking resolve and, motivated by a wish not to slaughter numerous great warriors, approaches and begins speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira, setting up the next dialogue.