Shloka 76
न तु भीष्मो महातेजा: शक््यो जेतुं महाबल: । 'क्रोधमें भरे हुए यमराज, वज्रधारी इन्द्र, पाशधारी वरुण अथवा गदाधारी कुबेर भी कदाचित् युद्धमें जीते जा सकते हैं; परंतु महातेजस्वी, महाबली भीष्मको जीतना अशक्य है
na tu bhīṣmo mahātejāḥ śakyo jetuṃ mahābalaḥ | krodhena pūrṇo yamārājo vajradhārī indraḥ pāśadhārī varuṇo vā gadādhārī kuberaḥ api kadācit yuddhe jetuṃ śakyante; parantu mahātejā mahābalo bhīṣmaḥ jetum aśakyaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Namun Bhīṣma—perkasa dalam kekuatan dan menyala dalam kewibawaan—tak dapat ditaklukkan. Yama yang murka, Indra pemegang vajra, Varuṇa pemegang jerat, atau Kubera pemegang gada, mungkin pada suatu waktu dapat dikalahkan dalam perang; tetapi Bhīṣma, yang demikian agung dalam daya dan cahaya, mustahil dikalahkan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of Bhīṣma: some opponents may be defeated by circumstance, but Bhīṣma’s prowess and moral-gravitational authority on the battlefield make him effectively unconquerable. It highlights how dharmic reputation, discipline, and long-earned mastery can create a power that exceeds even mythic comparisons.
Sañjaya, reporting the war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes Bhīṣma’s battlefield supremacy. By comparing him to major deities armed with their signature weapons, he conveys the dread and inevitability felt by the opposing side: defeating Bhīṣma is portrayed as beyond ordinary possibility.