Shloka 39
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
यश्च हेतुरवध्यत्वे तेषामक्लिष्टकर्मणाम् । तं शृुणुष्व महाबाहो मम कीर्तयतः प्रभो,महाबाहो! प्रभो! अनायास ही महान् कर्म करनेवाले पाण्डवोंके अवध्य होनेमें जो हेतु है, उसे बताता हूँ, सुनो
yaś ca hetur avadhyatve teṣām akliṣṭa-karmaṇām | taṃ śṛṇuṣva mahābāho mama kīrtayataḥ prabho ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O panginoong makapangyarihan ang bisig, makinig habang ipinahahayag ko ang dahilan kung bakit ang mga Pāṇḍava—na ang mga gawa’y natatapos nang walang hirap at walang bahid ng kasalanang laban sa dharma—ay hindi mapapatay. Dinggin mo mula sa akin ang sanhi ng kanilang pagiging di-malalabag.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ‘invincibility’ as having a discernible cause: the Pāṇḍavas’ akliṣṭa-karma—actions aligned with dharma and free from degrading motive—becomes a moral-spiritual ground for protection, suggesting that ethical integrity can function as a form of strength in the world.
Bhīṣma addresses a mighty-armed lord (contextually a leading Kuru figure) and announces that he will explain why the Pāṇḍavas are ‘avadhya’ (not to be slain). This verse serves as a transition into Bhīṣma’s forthcoming rationale for their protected status.