Shloka 32
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Kaurava Champions (भीष्मकृतः रथिनां गुणनिरूपणम्)
एतेन हि तदा राजंस्तप आस्थाय दारुणम् | सुदुर्लभो वरो लब्ध: पाण्डवान् योद्धुमाहवे,राजन्! उस समय इन्होंने कठोर तपस्या करके युद्धमें पाण्डवोंसे मुठभेड़ कर सकनेका अत्यन्त दुर्लभ वर प्राप्त किया था
etena hi tadā rājan tapa āsthāya dāruṇam | sudurlabho varo labdhaḥ pāṇḍavān yoddhum āhave ||
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—હે રાજન! આ જ ઉપાયથી તેણે એક વખત ઘોર તપ આચરીને અતિ દુર્લભ વર મેળવ્યો હતો—અર્થાત્ યુદ્ધમાં પાંડવો સામે સામનો કરી શકવાની શક્તિ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional idea that intense tapas (austerity and disciplined effort) can yield extraordinary results, even martial capability. Ethically, it also implies that power gained through ascetic merit can be directed toward warfare, raising the tension between spiritual attainment and its worldly use.
Bhīṣma is explaining to the king that a certain person (referred to as ‘he’ in the verse) previously performed severe austerities and thereby secured a very rare boon—specifically, the capacity to confront the Pāṇḍavas in battle.