Shloka 166
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
उभयो: सेनयोर्वीरो रथो नास्तीति तादृश: । लाल नेत्रोंवाले निद्राविजयी अर्जुनके सखा और सहायक नारायणस्वरूप भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण हैं। कौरव-पाण्डव दोनों सेनाओंमें अर्जुनके समान वीर रथी दूसरा कोई नहीं है
ubhayor senayor vīro ratho nāstīti tādṛśaḥ | lāla-netro 'vale nidrā-vijayī arjunasya sakhā ca sahāyakaś ca nārāyaṇa-svarūpo bhagavān śrī-kṛṣṇaḥ | kaurava-pāṇḍava ubhayoḥ senayoḥ arjuna-samo vīra-rathī dvitīyo na kaścit |
Bhīṣma sprach: „In beiden Heeren gibt es keinen Wagenkämpfer von solcher Art. Denn Arjunas Freund und Helfer ist Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa selbst—Nārāyaṇa in Gestalt—lotusäugig und ein Bezwinger des Schlafes. Darum gibt es unter Kauravas wie Pāṇḍavas keinen zweiten heldenhaften Wagenstreiter, der Arjuna gleichkäme.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights that true strength is not merely personal prowess but also the quality of one’s support and alignment with dharma: Arjuna’s unmatched status arises because his ally is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, identified with Nārāyaṇa—implying that divine guidance and righteous companionship elevate human capability.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma assesses the relative power of the opposing forces. He declares that no chariot-warrior in either the Kaurava or Pāṇḍava army equals Arjuna, chiefly because Kṛṣṇa—ever-vigilant and divine in nature—stands as Arjuna’s friend and helper.