Shloka 46
स हि राज्यस्य मे दाता मन्त्रस्यैव च माधव,अतः माधव! भीष्मजी मुझे राज्य और मन्त्र (हितकर सलाह) दोनों देंगे। इसलिये मधुसूदन! हम सब लोग पुनः आपके साथ देवव्रत भीष्मके पास उन्हींसे उनके वधका उपाय पूछने चलें
sa hi rājyasya me dātā mantrasyaiva ca mādhava | ato mādhava devavrata-bhīṣmaṃ punaḥ sarve vayaṃ tvayā saha gatvā tasya vadhopāyaṃ pṛcchāmaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Mādhava, he indeed is the giver of my kingdom and also of counsel. Therefore, O Madhusūdana, let us all go again with you to Devavrata Bhīṣma and ask him himself for the means by which he may be slain.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a righteous war, action must be guided by discernment and counsel. Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes Bhīṣma as both the source of legitimate kingship and wise guidance, and seeks a method that aligns victory with dharma—showing that ethical responsibility includes seeking the least adharma-laden means in unavoidable conflict.
After suffering under Bhīṣma’s formidable prowess, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa and proposes that the Pāṇḍavas go again to Bhīṣma (Devavrata) to ask him directly for the means of his own defeat/slaying—reflecting Bhīṣma’s unique role as an elder who supports dharma even while fighting for the Kauravas.