Shloka 27
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एतच्छुत्वा तु भीष्मस्य राज्ञां दध्वंसिरे तदा । काज्चनाड्रदिन: पीना भुजाश्षन्दनरूषिता:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | etac chrutvā tu bhīṣmasya rājñāṁ dadhvaṁsire tadā | kāñcanāṅgadinaḥ pīnā bhujāś candana-rūṣitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing Bhīṣma’s words, the assembled kings at once lost their composure. Their stout arms—adorned with golden armlets and smeared with sandal—grew slack, as their hearts were shaken by the force of what had been recalled and foreseen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma’s counsel carries such moral and strategic weight that it strips away bravado: true discernment in dharma and war makes even powerful rulers confront consequences, revealing that strength without right judgment quickly collapses.
After Bhīṣma speaks, the kings in the assembly are visibly shaken—so affected that their strong, ornamented arms become slack—signaling fear, doubt, or sobering realization about the coming conflict and its outcomes.