Shloka 466
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
ब्रह्मर्षिसदृशो जज्ञे देवैरपि सुदुःसह:ः । भरतनन्दन! हमारे पितामह गंगापुत्र भीष्मजी तो अपने पिता शान्तनुसे भी बढ़कर पराक्रमी हैं। ये ब्रह्मर्षियोंके समान प्रभावसे सम्पन्न होकर उत्पन्न हुए हैं। इनका वेग देवताओंके लिये भी अत्यन्त दुःसह है
brahmarṣi-sadṛśo jajñe devair api suduḥsahaḥ | bharata-nandana! asmākaṃ pitāmahaḥ gaṅgā-putro bhīṣmaḥ śāntanoḥ pitur api vardhataro parākramavān | sa brahmarṣīṇām iva prabhāvena sampanna utpannaḥ | asya vegaḥ devatānām api atyantaṃ duḥsahaḥ |
Duryodhana declara: «¡Oh alegría de la estirpe de Bharata! Nuestro venerable abuelo, Bhīṣma, nacido del Gaṅgā, es más poderoso en valor incluso que su padre Śāntanu. Nació investido de un esplendor semejante al de un brahmarṣi, y su ímpetu es tan abrumador que aun los dioses apenas podrían soportarlo.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how reverence for lineage and extraordinary personal power can be used to justify political certainty and escalation toward conflict. Ethically, it invites reflection on the difference between true dharma and confidence built on might and alliances.
Duryodhana is emphasizing Bhīṣma’s unmatched prowess—greater even than Śāntanu’s and unbearable to the gods—to strengthen his side’s morale and to argue, implicitly, that the Kauravas have an invincible champion in the coming confrontation.