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,यह सब देख और सोचकर शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले अप्रमेयस्वरूप भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण सहन न कर सके। उन्होंने मन-ही-मन विचार किया कि युधिष्ठिरकी सेनाका अस्तित्व मिटना चाहता है। भीष्म रणभूमिमें एक ही दिनमें सम्पूर्ण देवताओं और दानवोंका नाश कर सकते हैं। फिर सेना और सेवकोंसहित पाण्डवोंको युद्धमें परास्त करना इनके लिये कौन बड़ी बात है?
ekāhvā hi raṇe bhīṣmo nāśayed devadānavān | ki nu pāṇḍusutān yuddhe sabalān sapadānugān ||
Sañjaya said: “Indeed, Bhīṣma, if challenged in battle, could destroy even the gods and the Dānavas. How much more easily, then, could he defeat the sons of Pāṇḍu in war—together with their forces and followers?” The remark underscores the terrifying imbalance of power on the battlefield and the looming ethical crisis: if Bhīṣma fights without restraint, the very survival of Yudhiṣṭhira’s army is imperiled.
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.