Shloka 42
इति देवगणानां च वाक्यं श्रुत्वा महातपा: । ततः शान्तनवो भीष्मो बीभत्सुं नात्यवर्तत
iti devagaṇānāṁ ca vākyaṁ śrutvā mahātapāḥ | tataḥ śāntanavo bhīṣmo bībhatsuṁ nātyavartata ||
Sañjaya said: Having heard these words of the hosts of gods, the great ascetic Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu, thereafter did not overstep (or press beyond) Arjuna (Bībhatsu)—acting with restraint and deference in the unfolding of the battle’s ordained course.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, a dharmic warrior is guided by restraint and by higher counsel: hearing the gods’ words, Bhīṣma does not act in a way that violates the larger ordained order, suggesting ethical self-limitation rather than unchecked aggression.
Sañjaya reports that after the gods speak, Bhīṣma—identified as Śāntanu’s son and a great ascetic—refrains from going beyond Arjuna (Bībhatsu), indicating that Bhīṣma moderates his action toward Arjuna in response to divine pronouncement.