Shloka 68
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
न विजेतुं रणे भीष्म उत्सहेत धनुर्धरम् आलोकादपि युद्ध हि सममेतद् भविष्यति
na vijetuṁ raṇe bhīṣmam utsaheta dhanurdharam | ālokād api yuddhaṁ hi samam etad bhaviṣyati ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Pemanah itu tidak akan mampu mengatasi Bhīṣma dalam pertempuran. Walaupun mereka bertarung selama dunia ini masih wujud, pertempuran ini akan tetap seimbang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of mere martial excellence: when two champions of comparable stature confront each other, the outcome may remain unresolved for a long time, suggesting that larger forces—strategy, circumstance, and destiny—shape war beyond individual prowess.
Sañjaya reports an assessment of the battlefield balance: Bhīṣma and the opposing archer are portrayed as so evenly matched that neither can decisively defeat the other, implying a prolonged and stalemated engagement.