Shloka 12
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Kaurava Champions (भीष्मकृतः रथिनां गुणनिरूपणम्)
दुर्योधन उवाच विद्यते मे न गाड़ेय भयं देवासुरेष्वपि । समस्तेषु महाबाहो सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,दुर्योधन बोला--महाबाहु गंगानन्दन! मैं आपसे सत्य कहता हूँ, मुझे सम्पूर्ण देवताओं और असुरोंसे भी कभी भय नहीं होता है
duryodhana uvāca | vidyate me na gāḍheya bhayaṃ devāsureṣv api | samasteṣu mahābāho satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Duryodhana said: “O mighty-armed son of the Gaṅgā, I have no deep-seated fear—even of the gods and the asuras, taken all together. I tell you this in truth.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked pride and overconfidence can harden a person against wise counsel and even against reverence for higher moral or cosmic order. Ethically, it signals a movement away from humility and dharma toward obstinate self-will.
In the Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana addresses Bhīṣma (the son of the Gaṅgā). He asserts that he feels no fear even of the combined gods and asuras, emphasizing his defiant resolve in the face of looming conflict and admonition.