Shloka 126
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
बालैरपि भवन्तस्तै: सर्व एव विशेषिता: । कुरुनन्दन! इनके आयुधों
bālair api bhavantas taiḥ sarva eva viśeṣitāḥ | kurunandana! eṣāṃ āyudhānāṃ gadānāṃ ca bāṇānāṃ cāghātaṃ kaścid api na soḍhuṃ śaknoti | ataḥ paraṃ na kaścid eṣāṃ dhanuṣi pratyāñcāṃ samāropayituṃ śaknoti, na yuddhe eṣāṃ gurvīṃ gadāṃ samuddhartum, na ca eṣāṃ bāṇān prayoktum | te vegena calane, lakṣyabhede, khāne-pāne tathā dhūli-krīḍāsu ca bālye 'pi tvāṃ parājitavantaḥ |
ビーシュマは言った。「汝らは幼き頃より、皆ことごとく彼らに凌駕されていた、クル族の喜びよ。彼らの武器――棍棒と矢――の一撃に耐え得る者はない。さらに、彼らの弓に弦を張れる者もなく、戦場で彼らの重き棍棒を持ち上げられる者もなく、彼らの矢を正しく用い得る者もいない。走る速さ、的を射抜く技、飲食の量、さらには幼子の塵遊びに至るまで、彼らは汝らが幼少の時分から汝らを打ち負かしていたのだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma underscores that true strength is proven by capability and discipline, not by status or pride; recognizing another’s superior skill is part of wise counsel and a check against reckless decisions in the lead-up to war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhishma reminds a Kuru prince that certain warriors are so formidable that others cannot even handle their weapons, and that this superiority was evident since childhood in contests of speed, skill, and games—warning against underestimating them.