Shloka 18
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
नते युद्धान्निवर्तन्ते धर्मोपेता महाबला: । श्रिया परमया युक्ता यतो धर्मस्ततो जय:
na te yuddhān nivartante dharmopetā mahābalāḥ | śriyā paramayā yuktā yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ||
धर्मयुक्त ते महाबली युद्धातून कधीही माघार घेत नाहीत. धर्मबळाने पोसलेले असल्यामुळे ते परम श्रीने युक्त आहेत; जिथे धर्म, तिथेच जय.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a moral causality: steadfastness in righteous duty (dharma), especially for warriors, is the true source of strength and prosperity, and victory ultimately aligns with the side where dharma resides.
Sanjaya, narrating the events of the Kurukṣetra war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, characterizes the warriors as unwavering in battle because they are supported by dharma, and he frames the conflict through the principle that victory follows righteousness.