Shloka 95
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
काम वध्यतु सैन्यं मे नाहं योत्स्ये महात्मना | जयो वास्तु वधो वा मे कथं वा कृष्ण मन्यसे,“भले ही वे मेरी सेनाका नाश कर डालें, मेरी विजय हो अथवा मृत्यु; परंतु मैं उन महात्मा भीष्मके साथ युद्ध नहीं करूँगा; अथवा श्रीकृष्प!ी आप कैसा ठीक समझते हैं?
sañjaya uvāca | kāmaṁ vadhyatu sainyaṁ me nāhaṁ yotsye mahātmanā | jayo vāstu vadho vā me kathaṁ vā kṛṣṇa manyase |
Sañjaya said: “Let them destroy my army if they wish. Whether victory comes to me or death—still I will not fight against the great-souled Bhīṣma. O Kṛṣṇa, what do you judge to be right in this matter?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic-ethical conflict in war: personal reverence and moral restraint toward an elder and revered warrior (Bhīṣma) clashes with the demands of battle. It frames the need for wise counsel (from Kṛṣṇa) when duty and conscience pull in opposite directions.
In the Kurukṣetra war setting, the speaker expresses a firm resolve not to fight Bhīṣma, even at the cost of losing his army, victory, or his own life, and asks Kṛṣṇa to decide what course is proper.