Shloka 17

Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

अपि चैव मया श्रेयो वाच्यं तेषां नराधिप । संयोद्धव्यं तवार्थाय यथा मे समय: कृत:,नरेश्वर! मैं पाण्डवोंको उनके पूछनेपर अवश्य ही हितकी बात बताऊँगा और तुम्हारे लिये युद्ध करूँगा। ऐसी ही मैंने प्रतिज्ञा की है

Transliteration

api caiva mayā śreyo vācyaṃ teṣāṃ narādhipa | saṃyoddhavyaṃ tavārthāya yathā me samayaḥ kṛtaḥ ||

Translation

ยิ่งกว่านั้น โอ้พระราชา เราจักต้องกล่าวแก่พวกเขาซึ่งถ้อยคำอันเป็นประโยชน์แท้ และเพื่อท่านเราจักต้องรบ ตามสัตย์สัญญาที่เราได้ให้ไว้

Word by Word

अपिalso, even

चand

एवindeed, certainly

मयाby me

श्रेयःwhat is beneficial, welfare

वाच्यम्to be said, should be spoken

तेषाम्of them, to them (their)

नराधिपO king (lord of men)

संयोद्धव्यम्to be fought, should fight (battle must be engaged)

तवof/for you

अर्थायfor the sake (purpose)

यथाas, in the manner that

मेmy, of me

समयःagreement, pledge, promise

कृतःmade, done

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

narādhipa (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)

Pāṇḍavas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma articulates a tension central to dharma: he will speak what is beneficial and truthful to the Pāṇḍavas, yet he will still fight for the Kuru king because of a prior pledge. Ethical counsel and personal integrity (keeping one’s vow) are both treated as binding duties, even when they pull in different directions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma addresses the king and states two commitments: if the Pāṇḍavas ask, he will tell them what is in their best interest, and nevertheless he will take the battlefield for the king’s cause, consistent with the vow he has already made.