Shloka 17
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
न हि देवेषु सर्वेषु नासुरेषूरगेषु च,समस्त देवताओं, असुरों, नागों, राक्षसों तथा यक्षोंमें भी अर्जुनके समान कोई नहीं है; फिर मनुष्योंमें तो हो ही कैसे सकता है? भूत या भविष्यमें भी कोई ऐसा रथी मेरे सुननेमें नहीं आया है
na hi deveṣu sarveṣu nāsureṣv urageṣu ca | na rākṣaseṣu yakṣeṣu vā arjuna-samaḥ kvacit || manuṣyeṣu kutaḥ syād vā bhūtaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ ca me śrutam | na tathā rathināṃ kaścid iti bhīṣma uvāca ||
قال بهيشما: «حقًّا، ليس في جميع الآلهة من يساوي أرجونا، ولا في الأَسُورَة، ولا في ذوي الأفاعي، ولا في الرَّاكْشَسَة والياكْشَة أحدٌ يماثله. فكيف يكون له نظيرٌ بين البشر؟ ما سمعتُ في ماضٍ ولا مستقبلٍ بمقاتلِ عربةٍ مثله.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ideal of unsurpassed martial excellence joined to reputation validated by elders: true greatness is recognized across realms and across time, and such recognition carries ethical weight in judging strength, duty, and the likely outcome of conflict.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhishma speaks to emphasize Arjuna’s incomparable prowess as a chariot-warrior, arguing that no being—divine, demonic, or human—matches him, thereby shaping the strategic and moral assessment of the coming war.