Shloka 76
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
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 |
サञ्जयは言った。「だが、力においても輝きにおいても偉大なるビーシュマは、征服し得ぬ。怒れるヤマ、金剛杵を執るインドラ、縄を操るヴァルナ、棍棒を携えるクベーラでさえ、時には戦場で打ち負かされることがあろう。されど、威力と光輝のあまりに大いなるビーシュマを倒すことは不可能である。」
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.