Shloka 69
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
एकाह्वा हि रणे भीष्मो नाशयेद् देवदानवान् । कि नु पाण्डुसुतान् युद्धे सबलान् सपदानुगान्
ekāhvā hi raṇe bhīṣmo nāśayed devadānavān | ki nu pāṇḍusutān yuddhe sabalān sapadānugān ||
Sañjaya dit : «Oui, Bhīṣma, s’il était provoqué au combat, pourrait en un seul jour détruire même les dieux et les Dānavas. À plus forte raison pourrait-il vaincre à la guerre les fils de Pāṇḍu, avec leurs troupes et leurs suivants.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and strategic peril of unchecked martial power: when a warrior of Bhīṣma’s stature fights without limitation, ordinary calculations of victory, justice, and even survival collapse, forcing leaders to confront how dharma can be protected amid overwhelming force.
Sañjaya, reporting the war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes Bhīṣma’s near-invincible capacity—so great that he could destroy even gods and Dānavas—thereby implying that defeating the Pāṇḍavas with their armies and followers would be effortless for him, and that the Pāṇḍava side faces an existential threat.