Shloka 6
भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्
Amba-ākhyāna prologue
एतस्य तद् रथानीकं॑ कथयन्ति रणप्रिया: । बहुत्वात् सागरप्रख्यं देवानामिव संयुगे
etasya tad rathānīkaṃ kathayanti raṇapriyāḥ | bahutvāt sāgaraprakhyaṃ devānām iva saṃyuge ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Les guerriers épris de guerre décrivent sa masse de chars comme un océan par son immensité ; tant elle est nombreuse que, sur le champ de bataille, elle paraît semblable à l’armée des dieux dans un grand affrontement céleste. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer numerical strength and organized martial power can create an overwhelming presence in war, using a cosmic simile (the gods’ battle) to convey scale—while implicitly reminding the listener that worldly might is measured, compared, and narrated, not inherently decisive in itself.
Bhīṣma is describing the magnitude of a particular side’s chariot-force. Observers on the battlefield—fighters who relish war—report that this formation looks like an ocean because of its vast numbers, likening it to the divine armies in a mythic conflict.