Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)
भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्तः स पितृभिः पितृन् रामो<ब्रवीदिदम् । नाहं युधि निवर्तेयमिति मे व्रतमाहितम्
bhīṣma uvāca evam uktaḥ sa pitṛbhiḥ pitṝn rāmo 'bravīd idam | nāhaṃ yudhi nivarteyam iti me vratam āhitam ||
Bhīṣma nói: Khi các bậc tổ tiên đã nói như vậy, Rāma (Paraśurāma) đáp lại các vị ấy: “Ta sẽ không quay lưng nơi chiến địa; đó là lời thệ (vrata) ta đã mang giữ từ lâu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores steadfastness to a solemn vow—especially a warrior’s pledge not to retreat—while also implying an ethical tension: even venerable ancestral counsel may not override a personally undertaken vrata when one’s sense of dharma is bound to it.
Bhishma narrates that after the Pitrs address Rama (Parashurama), Parashurama responds directly to them, declaring that he will not withdraw from battle because he has long maintained a vow of never showing his back in war.