Shloka 12

Devanagari script

बलाधिकोऊ३* हं त्वत्तश्न न भी: कार्या मया तव । ये तु बुद्धया हि बलिनस्ते भवन्ति बलीयस:

Transliteration

balādhiko ’haṁ tvattaḥ; na bhīḥ kāryā mayā tava | ye tu buddhyā hi balinas te bhavanti balīyasaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Aku lebih kuat daripadamu pada tenaga jasmani; maka engkau tidak perlu takut kepadaku. Mereka yang benar-benar kuat melalui kebijaksanaan dan daya pertimbangan akan menjadi lebih kuat lagi.”

Word by Word

बलाधिकःstronger (having greater strength)

अहम्I

त्वत्तःthan you / from you

नnot

भीःfear

कार्याto be done / to be made (i.e., should be entertained)

मयाby me

तवof you / for you

येthose who

तुbut / however

बुद्ध्याby intellect / by understanding

हिindeed / for

बलिनःstrong (men)

तेthey

भवन्तिbecome / are

बलीयसःstronger

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Physical power is not the highest form of strength; true superiority lies in buddhi—discernment, strategy, and ethical intelligence—which makes one ‘stronger than the strong.’

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma reassures the listener that there is no need to fear him despite his greater physical strength, and he uses the moment to emphasize a moral lesson: intelligence and sound judgment confer a higher, more enduring power than mere force.