Shloka 12
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
जित्वा वै क्षत्रियान् सर्वन् ब्राह्मणेषु प्रतिश्रुता । ब्राह्मण: क्षत्रियो वैश्य: शूद्रश्नेव रणे यदि
jitvā vai kṣatriyān sarvān brāhmaṇeṣu pratiśrutā | brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyaḥ śūdraś caiva raṇe yadi ||
Bhīṣma said: “Having conquered all the kṣatriyas, one becomes bound by a pledge made before the brāhmaṇas. For in battle—when the test is joined—whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, a vaiśya, or even a śūdra, the obligation of one’s vowed word and the consequences of one’s deeds still apply.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the binding force of a pledge (pratiśruti), especially one made in the presence of brāhmaṇas, and implies that ethical accountability in war is not erased by status: one’s word and deeds carry consequences regardless of varṇa.
Bhīṣma is speaking within the Udyoga Parva’s deliberations on conduct and policy before the great war, invoking the authority of vows and the moral weight of commitments made before respected witnesses (brāhmaṇas), while framing the battlefield as a setting where duty and accountability are tested.