Shloka 76
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
न तु भीष्मो महातेजा: शक््यो जेतुं महाबल: । 'क्रोधमें भरे हुए यमराज
na tu bhīṣmo mahātejāḥ śakyo jetuṃ mahābalaḥ | krodhena pūrṇo yamārājo vajradhārī indraḥ pāśadhārī varuṇo vā gadādhārī kuberaḥ api kadācit yuddhe jetuṃ śakyante; parantu mahātejā mahābalo bhīṣmaḥ jetum aśakyaḥ |
Dijo Sañjaya: «Pero Bhīṣma—poderoso en fuerza y fulgurante en esplendor—no puede ser vencido. Incluso Yama en su ira, Indra portador del rayo, Varuṇa que empuña el lazo, o Kubera que lleva la maza, podrían alguna vez ser superados en batalla; mas Bhīṣma, tan grande en poder y resplandor, es imposible de derrotar.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of Bhīṣma: some opponents may be defeated by circumstance, but Bhīṣma’s prowess and moral-gravitational authority on the battlefield make him effectively unconquerable. It highlights how dharmic reputation, discipline, and long-earned mastery can create a power that exceeds even mythic comparisons.
Sañjaya, reporting the war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes Bhīṣma’s battlefield supremacy. By comparing him to major deities armed with their signature weapons, he conveys the dread and inevitability felt by the opposing side: defeating Bhīṣma is portrayed as beyond ordinary possibility.