Shloka 48
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
तमब्रवीद् धर्मराज: कारुण्यार्थ वचो महत् | नाहं ज्ञातिवधं राजन् कामयेयं कथंचन
tam abravīd dharmarājaḥ kāruṇyārthaṃ vaco mahat | nāhaṃ jñātivadhaṃ rājan kāmaye'yaṃ kathaṃcana ||
அப்போது கருணையால் உருகிய தர்மராஜன் யுதிஷ்டிரன் ஒரு கனமான சொல்லை உரைத்தான்— “அரசே! எவ்விதத்திலும் என் சொந்த உறவினரின் கொலையை நான் விரும்பேன்.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when conflict seems imminent, dharma requires moral restraint: Yudhiṣṭhira foregrounds compassion and the ethical gravity of harming one’s own kin, refusing to desire violence as an end in itself.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, speaking with compassion, addresses a king and declares that he does not wish for the slaughter of his relatives under any circumstances, highlighting his reluctance toward fratricidal war.