Shloka 10
भीष्म-पर्व अध्याय १०० — त्रिगर्त-आक्रमण, भीष्म-केन्द्रित पुनर्संयोजन, तथा शक्त्यस्त्र-विनिमय
पाण्डवेषु दयां नित्यं स हि भीष्म: करोति वै । अशक्तिश्च रणे भीष्मो जेतुमेतान् महारथान्,भीष्म सदा ही पाण्डवोंपर दया करते हैं; अतः युद्धमें वे इन महारथियोंको जीतनेमें सर्वथा असमर्थ हैं
pāṇḍaveṣu dayāṃ nityaṃ sa hi bhīṣmaḥ karoti vai | aśaktiś ca raṇe bhīṣmo jetum etān mahārathān |
Karna said: “Bhishma always shows compassion toward the Pandavas; therefore, on the battlefield he is truly unable to overcome these great chariot-warriors.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between compassion and martial duty: even a supreme warrior’s effectiveness can be constrained by inner moral restraint and affection, showing how dharma and personal bonds shape outcomes in war.
Karna comments on Bhishma’s conduct in the war, asserting that Bhishma’s consistent compassion toward the Pandavas makes him unable to decisively defeat them, implying a strategic and psychological limitation within the Kaurava command.