Shloka 36
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
घातयिष्यामि गाड़ेयमिति लोकस्य संनिधौ | परिरक्ष्यमिदं तावद् वच: पार्थस्य धीमत:,'राजेन्द्र! आप मुझे युद्धके काममें नियुक्त कीजिये। मैं आपका योद्धा बनूँगा। युद्धके पहले उपप्लव्यनगरमें सब लोगोंके सामने अर्जुनने जो यह प्रतिज्ञा की थी कि मैं गंगानन्दन भीष्मका वध करूँगा, बुद्धिमान् पार्थके उस वचनका पालन करना मेरे लिये आवश्यक है
ghātayiṣyāmi gāḍeyam iti lokasya saṃnidhau | parirakṣyam idaṃ tāvad vacaḥ pārthasya dhīmataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “In the presence of all the people he had declared, ‘I shall cause Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma) to be slain.’ Therefore, for the present, the wise Pārtha’s pledged word must be safeguarded and fulfilled.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A publicly given pledge (vacaḥ) binds the speaker ethically; in a dharma-centered narrative, preserving truthfulness and honor becomes an immediate duty, even amid the moral complexity of war.
Sañjaya recalls Arjuna’s public declaration that he would bring about Bhīṣma’s death; the statement frames the next actions as aimed at upholding Arjuna’s vow and reputation before the wider world.