Shloka 5
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
पाण्डवोंकी सेनाओंमें ऐसे-ऐसे प्रहारकुशल योद्धा हैं, जो शस्त्रविद्याके ज्ञाता एवं योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्म आदि समस्त महारथियोंके साथ भी युद्ध कर लेते हैं ।। केनावध्या महात्मान: पाण्डुपुत्रा महाबला: | केन दत्तवरास्तात किं वा ज्ञानं विदन्ति ते,तात! महाबली महात्मा पाण्डव किस कारणसे अवध्य हैं? किसने उन्हें वर दिया है अथवा कौन-सा ज्ञान वे जानते हैं?
Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | kenāvadhyā mahātmānaḥ pāṇḍuputrā mahābalāḥ | kena dattavarās tāta kiṃ vā jñānaṃ vidanti te tāta |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “By what cause are the mighty, noble sons of Pāṇḍu unassailable? By whom have they been granted boons, my son? Or what special knowledge do they possess?” Thus he voices anxious wonder at the Pāṇḍavas’ seeming invincibility, seeking the moral and spiritual grounds—boon, merit, or wisdom—that might stand behind their prowess in war.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power in the Mahābhārata is not viewed as merely physical; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s question frames victory and invulnerability as possibly rooted in dharmic merit, divine boons, or superior knowledge—suggesting that ethical and spiritual causes can underlie worldly outcomes.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the Pāṇḍavas’ formidable capacity to face even the greatest warriors, asks Sañjaya (addressed as ‘tāta’) why they seem impossible to kill—whether due to granted boons or some special knowledge—revealing his fear for his sons’ prospects in the war.