Shloka 26
संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! दुर्योधनके ऐसा कहनेपर आपके ताऊ शानन््तनुनन्दन देवव्रतने दो घड़ीतक कुछ चिन्तन करनेके पश्चात् अपना एक निश्चय करके आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको सान्त्वना देते हुए इस प्रकार कहा--'प्रजानाथ दुर्योधन! सुस्थिर होकर इधर ध्यान दो ।। पूर्वकालं तव मया प्रतिज्ञातं महाबल । हत्वा दशसहस्राणि क्षत्रियाणां महात्मनाम्,“महाबली नरेश! पूर्वकालमें मैंने तुम्हारे लिये यह प्रतिज्ञा की थी कि दस हजार महामनस्वी क्षत्रियोंका वध करके ही मुझे संग्रामभूमिसे हटना होगा और यह मेरा दैनिक कर्म होगा। भरतश्रेष्ठ! जैसा मैंने कहा था, वैला अबतक करता आया हूँ
sañjaya uvāca—mahārāja! duryodhanasyaivaṃ vacane tava tātaḥ śāntanavanandano devavrato muhūrtadvayaṃ kiṃcid vicintya niścayaṃ kṛtvā tava putraṃ duryodhanaṃ sāntvayann idaṃ vacanam abravīt—“prajānātha duryodhana! susthiraḥ san iha me vacanaṃ śṛṇu. pūrvakālaṃ tava mayā pratijñātaṃ mahābala—hatvā daśasahasrāṇi kṣatriyāṇāṃ mahātmanām, raṇabhūmeḥ na nivartiṣye; etac ca mama nityaṃ karma bhaviṣyati. bharataśreṣṭha! yathā mayoktaṃ tathā etad adyāpi yāvat kṛtam.”
Sanjaya said: “O King! When Duryodhana had spoken thus, your grandsire Devavrata, the son of Shantanu, reflected for a while, formed a firm resolve, and then, to console your son Duryodhana, spoke these words: ‘O lord of men, Duryodhana, be steady and attend to me. Long ago, O mighty one, I vowed this for your sake: I would not withdraw from the battlefield until I had slain ten thousand high-souled Kshatriyas—and this would be my daily duty. O best of the Bharatas, as I said, so have I acted up to this point.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the Mahabharata’s emphasis on pratijñā (solemn vow) and steadfastness: Bhishma frames his participation in war as a binding duty undertaken by resolve, showing how personal commitments and warrior-dharma can drive action even amid morally fraught violence.
After Duryodhana speaks, Bhishma (Devavrata), Shantanu’s son, pauses to reflect and then reassures Duryodhana by recalling an earlier pledge: he would continue fighting and not withdraw until he had slain ten thousand Kshatriyas, treating this as his ongoing daily obligation on the battlefield.