Shloka 18
न च रामेण मर्तव्यं कदाचिदपि पार्थिव । ततः समुत्पन्नमिदं प्रस्वापं युज्यतामिति
na ca rāmeṇa martavyaṃ kadācid api pārthiva | tataḥ samutpannam idaṃ prasvāpaṃ yujyatām iti
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, Rāma tidak boleh dibunuh—kapan pun. Karena itu, rencana ‘Prasvāpa’ (upaya yang menimbulkan tidur) yang lahir dari pertimbangan itu hendaknya dilaksanakan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames a moral and strategic restraint: certain figures (here, Rāma) are not to be killed, so one should adopt a non-lethal means—such as rendering someone unconscious/asleep—when force is necessary but killing is prohibited.
Bhīṣma is advising a king in a tense political-military context. He rejects the option of killing Rāma and instead recommends implementing a plan that neutralizes the threat through induced sleep, aligning action with ethical limits.