Shloka 126
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
बालैरपि भवन्तस्तै: सर्व एव विशेषिता: । कुरुनन्दन! इनके आयुधों
bālair api bhavantas taiḥ sarva eva viśeṣitāḥ | kurunandana! eṣāṃ āyudhānāṃ gadānāṃ ca bāṇānāṃ cāghātaṃ kaścid api na soḍhuṃ śaknoti | ataḥ paraṃ na kaścid eṣāṃ dhanuṣi pratyāñcāṃ samāropayituṃ śaknoti, na yuddhe eṣāṃ gurvīṃ gadāṃ samuddhartum, na ca eṣāṃ bāṇān prayoktum | te vegena calane, lakṣyabhede, khāne-pāne tathā dhūli-krīḍāsu ca bālye 'pi tvāṃ parājitavantaḥ |
Bhishma said: “Even as mere boys, all of you were outshone by them, O joy of the Kurus. No one can endure the blow of their weapons—their maces and their arrows. Moreover, none can even string their bows, nor lift their heavy maces in battle, nor properly employ their arrows. In speed of movement, in striking the mark, in eating and drinking, and even in childish games of dust, they defeated you even in your own boyhood.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma underscores that true strength is proven by capability and discipline, not by status or pride; recognizing another’s superior skill is part of wise counsel and a check against reckless decisions in the lead-up to war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhishma reminds a Kuru prince that certain warriors are so formidable that others cannot even handle their weapons, and that this superiority was evident since childhood in contests of speed, skill, and games—warning against underestimating them.