Shloka 18
Adhyāya 55 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hesitation and Bhīṣma’s Authorization of Inquiry
Rājadharma Prelude
लोहितोदां केशतृणां गजशैलां ध्वजद्रुमाम् । महीं करोति युद्धेषु क्षत्रियो यः स धर्मवित्,जो क्षत्रिय युद्धभूमिमें रक्तरूपी जल, केशरूपी तृण, हाथीरूपी पर्वत और ध्वजरूपी वक्षोंसे युक्त खूनकी नदी बहा देता है, वह धर्मका ज्ञाता है
Bhiṣma uvāca: lohitodāṃ keśatṛṇāṃ gajaśailāṃ dhvajadrumām | mahīṃ karoti yuddheṣu kṣatriyo yaḥ sa dharmavit ||
กษัตริยะผู้ใดในสงครามทำให้แผ่นดินกลายเป็นทิวทัศน์อันน่าสะพรึง—โลหิตดุจสายน้ำ เส้นผมที่ขาดสะบั้นดุจหญ้า ช้างดุจขุนเขา และธงรบดุจพฤกษา—กษัตริยะผู้นั้นย่อมถูกขนานนามว่าเป็นผู้รู้ธรรม
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a traditional Kshatriya ethic: in rightful battle, unwavering martial action is treated as dharma, and the warrior who fulfills that duty—even amid horrific carnage—is termed a ‘knower of dharma’ within that role-based moral framework.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma in the Shanti Parva, using a stark battlefield metaphor: the ground is imagined as transformed into a scene where blood flows like water, hair lies like grass, elephants resemble mountains, and banners stand like trees—depicting the scale of war while defining the Kshatriya’s duty in it.