Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
अस्त्रग्रामश्न माहेन्द्रो रौद्र:ः कौबेर एव च । याम्यश्न वारुणश्रैव गदाश्षोग्रप्रदर्शना:
astragāmaś ca māhendraḥ raudraḥ kaubera eva ca | yāmyaś ca vāruṇaś caiva gadāś cogrāḥ pradarśanāḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Auf jenem Wagen befanden sich vollständige Sätze göttlicher Waffen—jene unter der Herrschaft Indras, Rudras, Kuberas, Yamas und Varunas—und auch Keulen waren dort, furchtbar anzusehen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the concentration of immense destructive capability and implicitly points to the moral gravity of deploying such power. In the Udyoga context—where peace is strained and war looms—it serves as a reminder that martial strength, though part of kshatriya duty, carries heavy ethical consequences.
Bhishma is describing a chariot outfitted with numerous divine astras associated with major deities (Indra, Rudra, Kubera, Yama, Varuna) and fearsome maces—an inventory-like depiction emphasizing readiness for a decisive conflict.