Shloka 246
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
ऋते त्वां राक्षसश्रेष्ठ सर्वविद्यासु पारगम् । जैसे वृत्रासुर देवताओंकी सेनाको मार भगाता था
ṛte tvāṃ rākṣasaśreṣṭha sarvavidyāsu pāragam | yathā vṛtrāsuro devatānāṃ senāṃ mārabhāgāyata, tathā sa api krodhapūrvakaṃ mama senāṃ khadedayati | ahaṃ yuddhasthale samastavidyāpāraṅgataṃ rākṣaseṣu ca sarvaśreṣṭhaṃ tvādṛśaṃ vīraṃ vihāya anyaṃ kaṃcid na paśyāmi, yo ’sya rogasyottamāṃ bhiṣajam bhavet ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Selain engkau—yang terbaik antara para Rākṣasa, mahir dalam segala cabang ilmu—aku tidak melihat sesiapa yang lain. Seperti Vṛtrāsura dahulu menghalau bala tentera para dewa hingga kucar-kacir, demikian juga pahlawan ini, dalam amarahnya, sedang mengusir pasukanku berundur. Di medan ini, selain seorang wira sepertimu—terunggul dalam kalangan Rākṣasa dan terlatih sepenuhnya dalam segala seni—aku tidak nampak sesiapa yang dapat menjadi penawar paling mujarab bagi ‘penyakit’ yang menimpa bala tentera.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames military collapse as a ‘disease’ and highlights the ethical-political duty of seeking the most competent remedy—i.e., relying on the truly capable leader/warrior rather than on numbers or panic. It also shows how epic memory (Vṛtrāsura’s rout of the gods) is used to interpret present events and intensify urgency.
Sanjaya describes a fierce warrior driving back the army in anger and tells the addressed Rākṣasa-hero that, apart from him—renowned and skilled in all arts—no one seems capable of checking the disaster on the battlefield.