Shloka 15
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Kaurava Champions (भीष्मकृतः रथिनां गुणनिरूपणम्)
रथसंख्यां तु कार्त्स्न्येन परेषामात्मनस्तथा । तथैवातिरथानां च वेत्तुमिच्छामि कौरव
rathasaṅkhyāṃ tu kārtsnyena pareṣām ātmanas tathā | tathaivātirathānāṃ ca vettum icchāmi kaurava, kurunandana!
Duryodhana berkata: “Wahai Kaurava, kebanggaan kaum Kuru! Engkau mengetahui sepenuhnya bilangan para pahlawan kereta perang di pihak musuh dan di pihak kita, demikian juga jumlah para atiratha—pejuang kereta agung. Aku ingin mengetahuinya daripadamu. Kerana datuk agung Bhīṣma mahir mengetahui setiap perincian kedua-dua pihak, aku mahu mendengar penilaian ini dari mulutmu sendiri di hadapan raja-raja ini.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of informed counsel in governance and war: a leader seeks authoritative knowledge (counts of rathas and atirathas) before acting, implying that decisions affecting many lives should be grounded in accurate assessment rather than impulse.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Duryodhana addresses a senior Kaurava figure and requests a complete accounting of the chariot-warriors and elite fighters on both sides, wanting this strategic appraisal stated openly before the assembled kings.