Shloka 21
Amba’s Disclosure of Prior Choice (Śālva) and Appeal to Bhīṣma — Chapter 171
सर्वास्त्वन्यान् हनिष्यामि पार्थिवान् भरतर्षभ | यान् समेष्यामि समरे न तु कुन्तीसुतान् नूप,भरतश्रेष्ठ! मैं अन्य सब राजाओंको, जिन्हें युद्धमें पाऊँगा, मारूँगा; परंतु कुन्तीके पुत्रोंका वध कदापि नहीं करूँगा
sarvāstv anyān haniṣyāmi pārthivān bharatarṣabha | yān sameṣyāmi samare na tu kuntīsutān nṛpa bharataśreṣṭha ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai yang terunggul dalam keturunan Bharata, semua raja lain yang kutemui di medan perang akan kubunuh; tetapi putera-putera Kuntī tidak akan kubunuh sama sekali.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within the obligations of war, a warrior may uphold self-chosen ethical restraints. Bhīṣma affirms kṣatriya resolve to fight, yet refuses to violate a deeper loyalty to the sons of Kuntī, illustrating the Mahābhārata’s tension between duty to a throne and duty to kin and conscience.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes inevitable and commanders are being assessed, Bhīṣma states his battle intention: he will fight fiercely against other allied kings he meets, but he will not kill the Pāṇḍavas (Kuntī’s sons), marking a significant limitation on his role in the coming Kurukṣetra war.