Shloka 12

Devanagari script

चिन्तयित्वा महाबाहु: पिता देवव्रतस्तव । अभ्याशस्थं महाराज पाण्डवं वाक्यमब्रवीत्‌,अब वे रफणक्षेत्रमें सम्मुख रहकर शीघ्र ही अपने वधकी इच्छा करने लगे। महाराज! आपके ताऊ महाबाहु देवव्रतने यह सोचकर कि अब मैं संग्राममें बहुसंख्यक श्रेष्ठ मानवोंका वध न करूँ, अपने निकटवर्ती पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठटिरसे इस प्रकार बोले--

Transliteration

cintayitvā mahābāhuḥ pitā devavratas tava | abhyāśasthaṃ mahārāja pāṇḍavaṃ vākyam abravīt ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: «ເມື່ອໄດ້ຄິດໄຕ່ຕອງແລ້ວ, ດີວະວຣະຕະ (ພີສະມະ) ຜູ້ມີແຂນແຂງແຮງ—ຜູ້ເປັນຍາດຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ຂອງທ່ານ, ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ—ໄດ້ກ່າວກັບປານດະວະຜູ້ຢືນຢູ່ໃກ້ລາວ. ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ດ້ວຍຄວາມຄິດວ່າ ‘ໃນສົງຄາມນີ້ ຂໍຢ່າໃຫ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າເປັນເຫດໃຫ້ເກີດການສັງຫານຜູ້ດີເລີດນັບບໍ່ຖ້ວນ,’ ລາວຈຶ່ງເວົ້າຖ້ອຍຄຳກັບຍຸທິສຖິຣະ—ເປັນສັນຍານວ່າຈະຫັນຈາກຊັຍຊະນະທາງອາວຸດໄປສູ່ຄວາມຍັບຍັ້ງ ແລະຄວາມຮັບຜິດຊອບທ່າມກາງສົງຄາມ.»

Word by Word

• {'cintayitvā': 'having thought, having reflected', 'mahābāhuḥ': 'mighty-armed

• a heroic epithet', 'pitā': 'father (here: your father/elder, used honorifically for Bhīṣma in relation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'devavrataḥ': 'Devavrata

• Bhīṣma’s personal name', 'tava': 'your', 'abhyāśastham': 'standing near

• stationed close by', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'pāṇḍavam': 'the Pāṇḍava (here: Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'vākyam': 'speech, words', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Devavrata (Bhīṣma)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kurukṣetra (battlefield context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a righteous war, a leader must reflect on the moral cost of violence. Bhīṣma’s thought—avoiding the needless killing of many worthy men—highlights dharmic restraint and accountability, not merely victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Devavrata), after reflecting, approaches and speaks to the nearby Pāṇḍava—understood as Yudhiṣṭhira—setting up counsel that frames the battle in ethical terms.