Shloka 75
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
भीष्म उवाच सत्यमेतन्महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डव
bhīṣma uvāca satyam etan mahābāho yathā vadasi pāṇḍava | yāvat me haste śastraṁ bhaviṣyati yāvat ca śreṣṭhaṁ dhanuḥ gṛhītvā yuddhāya sāvadhānaḥ prayatnaś ca bhaviṣyāmi tāvat indrasahitaḥ sarvo devagaṇo 'surāś ca raṇakṣetre māṁ jetuṁ na śakṣyanti ||
Bhishma said: “What you say is true, O mighty-armed Pandava. So long as a weapon remains in my hand, and so long as I take up my excellent bow and stand alert and striving for battle, neither the gods with Indra nor the asuras will be able to defeat me on the field of war.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kshatriya ideal of unwavering resolve: disciplined vigilance (sāvadhāna) and sustained effort (prayatna) make a warrior formidable. It also frames strength as conditional—Bhishma’s near-invincibility is tied to his active agency: weapon in hand, bow taken up, and full readiness.
Bhishma addresses a Pandava, affirming that the Pandava’s statement is true, and declares his own battlefield supremacy: as long as he remains armed and fully prepared to fight, even the combined forces of the gods led by Indra and the asuras cannot defeat him in open combat.