Shloka 28
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
मनोभि: सह संवेगै: संस्मृत्य च पुरातनम् । सामर्थ्य पाण्डवेयानां यथा प्रत्यक्षदर्शनात्
manobhiḥ saha saṁvegaiḥ saṁsmṛtya ca purātanam | sāmarthya-pāṇḍaveyānāṁ yathā pratyakṣa-darśanāt | vaiśampāyana uvāca |
Vaiśampāyana said: O Janamejaya, on hearing Bhīṣma’s words, the kings—stirred in mind and seized by sudden emotion—recalled the ancient prowess of the Pāṇḍavas as vividly as if they were seeing it with their own eyes. That remembrance slackened their confidence and steadied them into anxious reflection, for the reality of the Pāṇḍavas’ strength stood before their inner vision like direct perception.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how truthful counsel and remembrance of past deeds can correct overconfidence: when the real strength of an opponent is recalled as vividly as direct perception, pride gives way to sober, ethically charged deliberation about the consequences of war.
After Bhīṣma speaks, the assembled kings mentally revisit the Pāṇḍavas’ earlier feats. The recollection strikes them with emotional force, as though they are witnessing those exploits again, and this inner ‘direct vision’ unsettles their previous composure.