Shloka 18
कथं भीष्मेण संग्रामं प्राकुर्वन् पाण्डुनन्दना: । कथं च नाजयद् भीष्मो द्रोणे जीवति संजय,संजय! पाण्डवोंने भीष्मके साथ संग्राम कैसे किया? द्रोणाचार्यके जीते-जी भीष्म विजयी कैसे नहीं हो सके?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
kathaṁ bhīṣmeṇa saṅgrāmaṁ prākurvan pāṇḍu-nandanāḥ |
kathaṁ ca nājayad bhīṣmo droṇe jīvati, sañjaya ||
Dijo Dhṛtarāṣṭra: «¡Sañjaya! ¿Cómo emprendieron batalla contra Bhīṣma los hijos de Pāṇḍu? Y mientras Droṇa aún vivía, ¿cómo es que Bhīṣma no aseguró la victoria?»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between reputation and outcome in dharmic warfare: even the greatest warriors are constrained by circumstance, vows, loyalties, and the complex interplay of strategy and destiny. It also shows Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious attachment to victory and his reliance on Sañjaya’s truthful narration.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to explain two things: how the Pāṇḍavas dared to engage Bhīṣma in battle, and why Bhīṣma did not achieve decisive victory while Droṇa—another supreme commander—was still alive. The question anticipates an account of battlefield dynamics, command decisions, and the limits placed upon Bhīṣma’s effectiveness.