Shloka 746
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
न भवान् समरे शक: सेन्द्रैरपि सुरासुरै: । वज्रधारी इन्द्र, वरूण और यम--इन सबको जीता जा सकता है; परंतु आपको तो समरभूमिमें इन्द्र आदि देवता और असुर भी नहीं जीत सकते
na bhavān samare śakyaḥ sendrair api surāsuraiḥ | vajradhārī indraḥ varuṇaś ca yamaś ca—etān sarvān jetuṃ śakyate; kintu bhavantaṃ tu samara-bhūmau indrādayo devā asurāś ca na jetuṃ śaknuvanti |
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Im Kampf bist du unbezwingbar—selbst wenn Götter und Asuras sich vereinten, mit Indra an ihrer Spitze. Indra, der Träger des Vajra, Varuṇa und Yama—sie können überwunden werden; doch dich kann man auf dem Schlachtfeld nicht überwinden, weder Indra und die übrigen Götter noch die Asuras.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses hyperbolic praise to assert a warrior’s unmatched prowess: even the highest cosmic powers (Indra, Varuṇa, Yama, along with devas and asuras) are portrayed as unable to defeat the addressed hero. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s war-context rhetoric where morale, reputation, and perceived dharmic strength are reinforced through exalted commendation.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a formidable figure on the battlefield, declaring him unconquerable. By naming major deities and contrasting them with the addressee’s superiority, he heightens the dramatic stakes of the conflict and underscores the extraordinary martial capacity attributed to that person in this episode.