Shloka 12
The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification
बलाधिकोऊ३* हं त्वत्तश्न न भी: कार्या मया तव । ये तु बुद्धया हि बलिनस्ते भवन्ति बलीयस:
balādhiko ’haṁ tvattaḥ; na bhīḥ kāryā mayā tava | ye tu buddhyā hi balinas te bhavanti balīyasaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Soy más fuerte que tú en fuerza física; por ello no debes temerme. Quienes son verdaderamente fuertes por la inteligencia y el discernimiento se vuelven aún más poderosos».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Physical power is not the highest form of strength; true superiority lies in buddhi—discernment, strategy, and ethical intelligence—which makes one ‘stronger than the strong.’
Bhīṣma reassures the listener that there is no need to fear him despite his greater physical strength, and he uses the moment to emphasize a moral lesson: intelligence and sound judgment confer a higher, more enduring power than mere force.