Shloka 31
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
मा पाण्डवै: सार्थमिति तत् त्वं मोहान्न बुध्यसे । मन्ये त्वां राक्षसं क्रूरं तथा चासि तमोवृत:,तात! वेदोंके पारंगत विद्वान् महर्षियोंने तथा मैंने तुमको मना किया था कि तुम धनुर्धर भगवान् वासुदेवके साथ विरोध न करो, पाण्डवोंके साथ लोहा न लो; परंतु मोहवश तुमने इन बातोंका कोई मूल्य नहीं समझा। मैं समझता हूँ, तुम कोई क्रूर राक्षस हो; क्योंकि राक्षसोंके ही समान तुम्हारी बुद्धि सदा तमोगुणसे आच्छन्न रहती है
bhīṣma uvāca |
mā pāṇḍavaiḥ sārtham iti tat tvaṁ mohān na budhyase |
manye tvāṁ rākṣasaṁ krūraṁ tathā cāsi tamo-vṛtaḥ, tāta |
vedānte pāraṅgatair vidvadbhir maharṣibhiḥ tathā mayā ca tvaṁ nivāritaḥ |
yathā dhanurdharaṁ bhagavantaṁ vāsudevaṁ prati virodhaṁ na kuryāḥ, pāṇḍavaiḥ saha yuddhaṁ na kuryāḥ |
parantu mohavaśāt tvayā etad-vacanaṁ na gaṇitam |
rākṣasavat hi te buddhiḥ sadā tamoguṇena āvṛtā iti ||
Bhishma said: “You do not understand—out of delusion—that you must not take the field together with the Pandavas. I deem you a cruel rakshasa, for your mind is veiled in darkness. The learned great seers, skilled in Vedanta, and I as well had warned you: do not set yourself against the bow-bearing Lord Vasudeva; do not wage war against the Pandavas. Yet, overcome by delusion, you gave no weight to these counsels. Your intellect, like that of the rakshasas, remains ever covered by the quality of tamas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Delusion (moha) and tamas cloud moral discernment, leading one to reject wise counsel and oppose dharma; resisting the righteous side—here aligned with Vasudeva and the Pandavas—is portrayed as a sign of a darkened, destructive disposition.
Bhishma rebukes the addressed person for ignoring repeated warnings from seers and from Bhishma himself not to oppose Krishna (Vasudeva) and not to fight the Pandavas, interpreting this obstinacy as tamasic, rakshasa-like cruelty.