Shloka 88
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
मा मैवं पुत्र निर्बन्ध॑ कुरु विप्रेण पार्थिव । जामदग्न्येन समरे योद्धुमित्येव भर्त्सयत्
mā maivaṁ putra nirbandhaṁ kuru vipreṇa pārthiva | jāmadagnyena samare yoddhum ity eva bhartsayat ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon fils, ne t’obstine pas ainsi, ô roi ; ne défie pas un brāhmane. Il est Jāmadagnya ; ne l’excite pas par des railleries telles que : “Combats-moi sur le champ de bataille !”»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches restraint and propriety: a ruler should not stubbornly provoke a brāhmaṇa—especially the formidable Jāmadagnya—by issuing insulting challenges to fight. Ethical speech and awareness of dharmic boundaries are essential even in martial contexts.
Bhīṣma addresses a king as “son” and warns him to stop persisting in a confrontational stance. The king has been taunting Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma) with words like “Fight me in battle,” and Bhīṣma counsels him not to escalate the conflict by insulting a brāhmaṇa-warrior.