Shloka 47
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
तस्माद् देववब्रतं भूयो वधोपायार्थमात्मन: । भवता सहिता: सर्वे प्रयाम मधुसूदन,अतः माधव! भीष्मजी मुझे राज्य और मन्त्र (हितकर सलाह) दोनों देंगे। इसलिये मधुसूदन! हम सब लोग पुनः आपके साथ देवव्रत भीष्मके पास उन्हींसे उनके वधका उपाय पूछने चलें
tasmād devavrataṁ bhūyo vadhopāyārtham ātmanaḥ | bhavatā sahitāḥ sarve prayāma madhusūdana ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Portanto, ó Madhusūdana, vamos todos novamente, acompanhados por ti, até Devavrata (Bhīṣma), para aprender o meio de abatê-lo. Pois é dele que devemos buscar o conselho que assegurará a nossa causa—por mais dolorosa que seja tal necessidade—para que a guerra prossiga segundo uma estratégia discernida, e não por fúria cega.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a righteous war, action should be guided by deliberate counsel and moral awareness. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a lawful, considered strategy—approaching the very elder they must oppose—showing that dharma involves restraint, consultation, and accountability, not mere victory-seeking.
On the battlefield context of Bhīṣma Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) and proposes that all of them go again to Bhīṣma (Devavrata) to ask for the means by which Bhīṣma may be brought down—seeking guidance from the grandsire himself regarding how he can be defeated.