Shloka 51
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
त॑ं चेत् पितामहं वृद्ध हन्तुमिच्छामि माधव । पितु: पितरमिष्टं च धिगस्तु क्षत्रजीविकाम्
taṁ cet pitāmahaṁ vṛddha hantuṁ icchāmi mādhava | pituḥ pitaram iṣṭaṁ ca dhig astu kṣatrajīvikām, mādhava ||
“若我竟决意要杀那年迈的祖父，噢摩达婆（Mādhava）——他既是我父之父，又是我所敬爱之人——那么，噢摩达婆，愿刹帝利的生计蒙羞！此处战之伦理反噬于心：履行征战之责，竟要求一桩仿佛亵渎家族敬奉的行径。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner ethical rupture of war: even when duty demands fighting, the act of harming revered elders can feel morally contaminating, prompting a critique of 'kṣatriya livelihood' when it appears to require impiety toward family and teachers.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava), expressing anguish that the war compels him to seek the death of Bhīṣma—an aged, beloved grandsire—so he condemns the warrior’s profession that forces such a choice.