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 |
Menghadap pertempuran secara langsung, ia segera mulai mencari kematiannya sendiri. Dengan pikiran, “Semoga aku tidak lagi membunuh banyak insan utama dalam perang ini,” Devavrata yang berlengan perkasa (Bhisma) lalu berkata kepada Yudhiṣṭhira, putra Pāṇḍu, yang berdiri dekatnya.
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.