Shloka 12
को हि शक्तो रणे पार्थ भारतानां महारथौ । भीष्पद्रोणौ युधा जेतुं शक्रतुल्यपराक्रमौ
ko hi śakto raṇe pārtha bhāratānāṃ mahārathau | bhīṣma-droṇau yudhā jetuṃ śakra-tulya-parākramau ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Pārtha, siapakah di antara kaum Bhārata yang sanggup, di medan laga, menaklukkan dalam pertempuran dua mahāratha—Bhīṣma dan Droṇa—yang keperkasaannya setara Indra?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores human limitation before extraordinary merit: some warriors embody such accumulated skill, discipline, and divine-like valor that victory over them is not merely a matter of desire but of capability, circumstance, and destiny. It also frames martial excellence as something that commands respect even amid enmity.
Sañjaya addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) and rhetorically asks who could defeat Bhīṣma and Droṇa in open battle, emphasizing their near-unconquerable status. The statement functions as a reminder of the formidable strength of the Kuru champions and heightens the gravity of the war’s unfolding events.