Shloka 75
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
भीष्म उवाच सत्यमेतन्महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डव
bhīṣma uvāca satyam etan mahābāho yathā vadasi pāṇḍava | yāvat me haste śastraṁ bhaviṣyati yāvat ca śreṣṭhaṁ dhanuḥ gṛhītvā yuddhāya sāvadhānaḥ prayatnaś ca bhaviṣyāmi tāvat indrasahitaḥ sarvo devagaṇo 'surāś ca raṇakṣetre māṁ jetuṁ na śakṣyanti ||
ビーシュマは言った。「汝の言うことは真である、強き腕のパーンダヴァよ。武器が我が手にあるかぎり、我が優れた弓を取り、戦のために警醒し、力を尽くして立つかぎり、インドラを伴う神々といえども、またアスラといえども、戦場において我を打ち破ることはできぬ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kshatriya ideal of unwavering resolve: disciplined vigilance (sāvadhāna) and sustained effort (prayatna) make a warrior formidable. It also frames strength as conditional—Bhishma’s near-invincibility is tied to his active agency: weapon in hand, bow taken up, and full readiness.
Bhishma addresses a Pandava, affirming that the Pandava’s statement is true, and declares his own battlefield supremacy: as long as he remains armed and fully prepared to fight, even the combined forces of the gods led by Indra and the asuras cannot defeat him in open combat.