Shloka 25
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
एकाकी स्पर्धते नित्यं सर्वेण जगता सह । न चान्यं पुरुषं कंचिन्मन्यते मोघदर्शन:,'ये अकेले ही सदा सम्पूर्ण जगत्के साथ स्पर्धा रखते हैं और अपनी व्यर्थ दृष्टिके कारण दूसरे किसीको पुरुष ही नहीं समझते हैं
ekākī spardhate nityaṁ sarveṇa jagatā saha | na cānyaṁ puruṣaṁ kañcin manyate mogha-darśanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Such a man, though alone, is forever in rivalry with the whole world. And, because his vision is futile and misguided, he does not regard any other person as a true ‘man’ at all.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma criticizes arrogant self-isolation: a person who treats life as constant competition with everyone becomes incapable of recognizing others’ worth. Such ‘vain vision’ (mogha-darśana) is ethically corrosive, breeding contempt and conflict rather than dharmic humility and discernment.
In Bhīṣma’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war deliberations, he describes a destructive character-type—someone who stands alone in perpetual rivalry with the world and dismisses all others as insignificant—warning that this mindset undermines right judgment and social harmony.