Shloka 40
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
व्रियतां च वर: पार्थ किमस्मत्तो5भिकड्क्षसि । एवंगते महाराज न तवास्ति पराजय:,पार्थ! वर माँगो। तुम मुझसे क्या चाहते हो? महाराज! ऐसी स्थितिमें तुम्हारी पराजय नहीं होगी
vriyatāṁ ca varaḥ pārtha kim asmatto ’bhikāṅkṣasi | evaṁgate mahārāja na tavāsti parājayaḥ |
Bhīṣma said: “O Pārtha, choose a boon—what do you desire from me? O great king, now that matters have come to this, there will be no defeat for you.” In the ethical frame of the epic, Bhīṣma—bound by his vow yet committed to kṣatriya-dharma—acknowledges the decisive turn of events and offers a boon as a final, duty-bound concession to the rightful claimant of victory.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, dharma expresses itself through truthfulness, honor, and keeping one’s word: Bhīṣma, though fighting for the Kauravas by vow, still upholds a warrior’s integrity by offering a boon and acknowledging the moral and strategic inevitability of the outcome.
Bhīṣma addresses Pārtha and invites him to ask for a boon, stating that given the present situation the addressed king will not face defeat—signaling a decisive shift in the battle’s trajectory and Bhīṣma’s recognition of the approaching resolution.