Shloka 18
भीष्मधृतराष्ट्रसंवादः — पाण्डवबलप्रशंसा
Bhishma–Dhritarashtra Dialogue: Appraisal of Pandava Strength
हन्यादेकरथेनैव देवगन्धर्वमानुषान् । एकीभूतानपि रणे दिव्यैरस्त्रै: प्रतापवान्
hanyād ekarathenaiva devagandharvamānuṣān | ekībhūtān api raṇe divyair astraiḥ pratāpavān ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ പ്രതാപശാലി യോദ്ധാവ് ഒരൊറ്റ രഥം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ, യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ഒന്നിച്ചുകൂടിയ ദേവന്മാരെയും ഗന്ധർവന്മാരെയും മനുഷ്യരെയും ദിവ്യാസ്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ വധിക്കാനാകും.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes extraordinary martial capability as a form of deterrent power: a single exceptionally potent warrior, equipped with divine astras, can outweigh even a numerically united opposition. Ethically, it highlights how prowess and weapon-knowledge can shift the balance of dharma-yuddha considerations by making conflict catastrophically one-sided.
Bhīṣma is praising or describing a warrior’s overwhelming strength, stating that he could, from a single chariot, defeat even combined forces of gods, Gandharvas, and humans in battle through the use of divine weapons—underscoring the stakes and intensity surrounding the impending war.