Shloka 18
Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)
न तु पश्यामि योद्धारमात्मन: सदृशं भुवि | ऋते तस्मान्नरव्याप्रात् कुन्तीपुत्रादू धनंजयात्,मैं इस भूतलपर नरश्रेष्ठ कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनके सिवा दूसरे किसी योद्धाको अपने समान नहीं देखता हूँ
na tu paśyāmi yoddhāram ātmanaḥ sadṛśaṃ bhuvi | ṛte tasmān naravyāghrāt kuntīputrād dhanañjayāt |
Bhīṣma sprach: „Doch auf dieser Erde sehe ich keinen Krieger, der mir gleichkäme — außer jenem Tiger unter den Menschen, Kuntīs Sohn Dhanañjaya (Arjuna).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True counsel requires honesty about strengths and risks. Bhīṣma’s admission that only Arjuna matches him highlights the seriousness of the impending war and implies that decisions must be made with clear-eyed awareness of consequences, not pride or denial.
In Udyoga Parva, as war preparations and negotiations unfold, Bhīṣma speaks about the relative prowess of warriors. Here he declares that he sees no warrior on earth equal to himself except Arjuna, emphasizing Arjuna’s exceptional status among the combatants.