Shloka 25
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Kaurava Champions (भीष्मकृतः रथिनां गुणनिरूपणम्)
अर्थसिद्धि तव रणे करिष्यति न संशय: । शस्त्रविद्धिरनाधृष्यो दूरपाती दृढायुध:
bhīṣma uvāca |
arthasiddhiṁ tava raṇe kariṣyati na saṁśayaḥ |
śastraviddhir anādhṛṣyo dūrapātī dṛḍhāyudhaḥ |
haniṣyati camūṁ teṣāṁ mahendro dānavān iva ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dalam pertempuran dia pasti akan menunaikan tujuan yang tuanku kehendaki—tiada keraguan. Mahir dalam senjata, tidak dapat ditundukkan walau oleh pakar-pakar besar; persenjataannya teguh dan dia mampu mengenai sasaran dari jauh. Dia akan membinasakan bala tentera mereka sebagaimana Mahendra (Indra), raja para dewa, dahulu menumpaskan kaum Dānava.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of confidence grounded in capability: mastery of arms, steadfast equipment, and tactical reach are presented as decisive factors in fulfilling a ruler’s objective in war, reinforced through a mythic analogy to Indra’s victory over the Dānavas.
Bhishma is assuring his side (the Kaurava leadership) that a particular champion will achieve the desired goal in the coming battle and will devastate the opposing army, comparing his expected slaughter to Indra’s destruction of the Dānavas.