Shloka 4
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 165 — Bhīṣma’s Appraisal and Karṇa’s Rebuttal (भीष्म–कर्ण विवादः)
महाराज! प्रचण्ड वेगसे प्रहार करनेवाले इन काम्बोजनरेशके रथियोंके समुदायमें काम्बोजदेशीय सैनिकोंकी श्रेणी टिड्डियोंके दल-सी दृष्टिगोचर होती है ।। नीलो माहिष्मतीवासी नीलवर्मा रथस्तव । रथवंशेन कदन शत्रूणां वै करिष्यति
mahārāja! pracaṇḍa-vegena prahāra-karaṇeśu eteṣāṃ kāmboja-nareśa-rathināṃ samūhe kāmboja-deśīya-sainikānāṃ śreṇī ṭiḍḍikā-dala-sī dṛśyate. nīlo māhiṣmatī-vāsī nīla-varmā rathas tava; ratha-vaṃśena kadanaṃ śatrūṇāṃ vai kariṣyati.
Bhishma said: “O great king, among these companies of chariot-warriors of the Kamboja ruler—men who strike with furious speed—the ranks of Kamboja soldiers appear like a swarm of locusts. And Nīla, the dweller of Māhiṣmatī, clad in blue armour, is your chariot-warrior; by the might of his chariot-lineage he will indeed bring slaughter upon the enemies.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic ethic of kṣatriya warfare: leaders assess forces, recognize capable allies, and speak of martial prowess as a duty-bound instrument for protecting one’s side—while also hinting at the grave human cost through imagery of overwhelming numbers and impending slaughter.
Bhīṣma is describing the assembled forces, highlighting the Kāmboja contingents as numerous and swift-striking, and then pointing out Nīla of Māhiṣmatī—blue-armoured and famed by lineage—as a chariot-warrior on the king’s side who will inflict heavy losses on the enemy.