Shloka 9
देवविमान-दर्शनम् / The Celestial Assembly and Vimana Spectacle
Bhīṣma–Arjuna Encounter Framed Cosmically
नैतत् समस्तमुभयं कम्मिंश्रचिदनुशुश्रुम । अन्यत्र भारताचार्यात् सपुत्रादिति मे मति:,ये दोनों बातें पूर्णरूपसे किसी एक व्यक्तिमें हमने नहीं सुनी हैं। केवल भरतवंशियोंके आचार्य कृप, द्रोण और उनके पुत्र अश्वत्थामामें ही ये दोनों शक्तियाँ (ब्रह्मबल और क्षात्रबल) हैं। इनके सिवा और कहीं उक्त दोनों बातोंका एकत्र समावेश नहीं है। यह मेरा दृढ़ विश्वास है
naitat samastam ubhayaṁ kasmiṁścid anuśuśruma | anyatra bhāratācāryāt saputrād iti me matiḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “We have not heard of these two excellences—taken together in their fullness—being found in any single person. Only in the Bhārata preceptor, Droṇa, along with his son, do these two powers (the spiritual force of brahman and the martial force of kṣatra) abide together. Apart from them, nowhere else do these two qualities unite. This is my firm conviction.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Exceptional authority is portrayed as the rare union of brahmanical spiritual power (learning, austerity, sacred legitimacy) and kṣatriya martial power (valor, command). Bhīṣma asserts that such a complete combination is scarcely found, and he locates it uniquely in Droṇa and his son, implying that true supremacy in counsel and combat requires both inner discipline and outer prowess.
In the Virāṭa Parva context, Bhīṣma is assessing and praising the extraordinary capabilities of Droṇa and Aśvatthāmā. He emphasizes that reports and tradition do not attribute the full presence of both spiritual and martial strengths to any other single figure, thereby elevating their status among the Kuru leaders.