Shloka 38
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
भीष्म उवाच यद्येवं नाभिगच्छेथा युधि मां पृथिवीपते । शपेयं त्वां महाराज पराभावाय भारत,भीष्मजी बोले--पृथ्वीपते! भरतकुलनन्दन! महाराज! यदि इस युद्धके समय तुम इस प्रकार मेरे पास नहीं आते तो मैं तुम्हें पराजित होनेके लिये शाप दे देता
bhīṣma uvāca | yadyevaṁ nābhigacchethā yudhi māṁ pṛthivīpate | śapeyaṁ tvāṁ mahārāja parābhāvāya bhārata ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഭൂമിപതേ, ഹേ ഭാരതകുലനന്ദന മഹാരാജാ! ഈ യുദ്ധത്തിൽ നീ ഇങ്ങനെ എന്റെ അടുക്കൽ വരാതിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ, ഞാൻ നിന്നെ പരാജയത്തിനായി ശപിച്ചേനേ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, dharma is upheld through proper conduct: a king must not evade rightful confrontation and responsibility. Bhīṣma frames the ethical weight of approaching him in battle as a necessary act of kṣatriya-duty; failing it would merit moral-spiritual censure (a curse) leading to defeat.
Bhīṣma addresses the Kuru king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and states that if Yudhiṣṭhira had not come to him on the battlefield in the proper manner, Bhīṣma would have cursed him to suffer defeat. The line underscores the seriousness of the encounter and Bhīṣma’s authority and expectations regarding wartime propriety.