Shloka 36
भीष्मधृतराष्ट्रसंवादः — पाण्डवबलप्रशंसा
Bhishma–Dhritarashtra Dialogue: Appraisal of Pandava Strength
एतेन युद्धम भवत् पुरा गाण्डीवधन्वन: । दिवसान् सुबहून् राजन्नुभयोर्जयगृद्धिनो:
etena yuddham abhavat purā gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ | divasān subahūn rājann ubhayor jayagṛddhinoḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O König, einst kam es zum Kampf zwischen diesem und Arjuna, dem Träger des Gāṇḍīva. In jenem Streit rangen beide Seiten—jede nach Sieg verlangend—viele Tage lang.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the craving for victory (jaya-gṛddhi) can prolong conflict; it implicitly cautions that ambition and rivalry sustain war beyond necessity, a concern central to kṣatriya ethics and prudent kingship.
Bhīṣma recalls an earlier encounter in which Arjuna, famed as the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva, fought a prolonged battle against the person referred to as ‘this one’; both combatants sought victory and continued fighting for many days.