Shloka 9
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
'श्रेष्ठ देवताओ! जो परम तत्त्व हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | saṅgrāme nihatā ye te daityadānavarākṣasāḥ | ta ime nṛṣu sambhūtā ghorarūpā mahābalāḥ |
Bhishma berkata: “Para Daitya, Dānava, dan Rākṣasa yang telah terbunuh di medan perang kini terlahir di kalangan manusia. Dengan rupa yang mengerikan dan kekuatan yang amat besar, mereka menjadi kengerian bagi dunia.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames moral crisis in war as part of a larger dharmic struggle: destructive forces can reappear in new forms, even among humans, and society must recognize and restrain such adharma to protect the world.
Bhishma explains that beings previously slain as Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas have taken human birth and now threaten the world with their power and cruelty—setting the stage for divine intervention and the necessity of righteous action in the coming conflict.