Shloka 17
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
न हि देवेषु सर्वेषु नासुरेषूरगेषु च,समस्त देवताओं, असुरों, नागों, राक्षसों तथा यक्षोंमें भी अर्जुनके समान कोई नहीं है; फिर मनुष्योंमें तो हो ही कैसे सकता है? भूत या भविष्यमें भी कोई ऐसा रथी मेरे सुननेमें नहीं आया है
na hi deveṣu sarveṣu nāsureṣv urageṣu ca | na rākṣaseṣu yakṣeṣu vā arjuna-samaḥ kvacit || manuṣyeṣu kutaḥ syād vā bhūtaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ ca me śrutam | na tathā rathināṃ kaścid iti bhīṣma uvāca ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «En verdad, entre todos los dioses no hay, ni entre los asuras, ni entre los seres serpiente; tampoco entre los rākṣasas y los yakṣas existe alguien igual a Arjuna. ¿Cómo, entonces, podría hallarse tal rival entre los hombres? Ni en el pasado ni en el porvenir he oído hablar de un guerrero de carro como él.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ideal of unsurpassed martial excellence joined to reputation validated by elders: true greatness is recognized across realms and across time, and such recognition carries ethical weight in judging strength, duty, and the likely outcome of conflict.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhishma speaks to emphasize Arjuna’s incomparable prowess as a chariot-warrior, arguing that no being—divine, demonic, or human—matches him, thereby shaping the strategic and moral assessment of the coming war.