Shloka 12

Devanagari script

चिन्तयित्वा महाबाहु: पिता देवव्रतस्तव । अभ्याशस्थं महाराज पाण्डवं वाक्यमब्रवीत्‌

Transliteration

cintayitvā mahābāhuḥ pitā devavratas tava | abhyāśasthaṃ mahārāja pāṇḍavaṃ vākyam abravīt ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Après avoir réfléchi, Devavrata (Bhīṣma), aux bras puissants—ô roi, ton aîné vénérable—s’adressa au Pāṇḍava qui se tenait près de lui. Ô roi, pensant : “Dans cette bataille, puissé-je ne pas être la cause du massacre d’innombrables hommes d’élite”, il parla à Yudhiṣṭhira, marquant un tournant : de la seule réussite guerrière vers la retenue et la responsabilité au cœur de la guerre.»

Word by Word

• {'cintayitvā': 'having thought, having reflected', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• a heroic epithet', 'pitā': 'father (here: your father/elder, used honorifically for Bhīṣma in relation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'devavrataḥ': 'Devavrata

• Bhīṣma’s personal name', 'tava': 'your', 'abhyāśastham': 'standing near

• stationed close by', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'pāṇḍavam': 'the Pāṇḍava (here: Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'vākyam': 'speech, words', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Devavrata (Bhīṣma)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kurukṣetra (battlefield context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a righteous war, a leader must reflect on the moral cost of violence. Bhīṣma’s thought—avoiding the needless killing of many worthy men—highlights dharmic restraint and accountability, not merely victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Devavrata), after reflecting, approaches and speaks to the nearby Pāṇḍava—understood as Yudhiṣṭhira—setting up counsel that frames the battle in ethical terms.