Shloka 29
अथवा पितरं मूढं यो मे5कार्षीत् स्वयंवरम् । मयायं स्वकृतो दोषो याहं भीष्मरथात् तदा
athavā pitaraṁ mūḍhaṁ yo me ’kārṣīt svayaṁvaram | mayāyaṁ svakṛto doṣo yāhaṁ bhīṣmarathāt tadā
Ou bien, j’aurais dû retenir mon père égaré, lui qui avait arrangé pour moi ce svayaṃvara. Cette faute est de mon propre fait : moi, Bhīṣma, en ce temps-là, j’ai agi depuis mon char d’une manière qui a fait naître ce tort.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes moral accountability: even when elders or circumstances initiate an action, one must recognize one’s own agency and accept responsibility for the consequences of one’s choices.
Bhīṣma reflects on a past episode connected with a svayaṃvara arranged for him by his father; he judges that he should have checked his father’s misguided decision and admits that the resulting fault is ultimately his own.