Shloka 22

भीष्मधृतराष्ट्रसंवादः — पाण्डवबलप्रशंसा

Bhishma–Dhritarashtra Dialogue: Appraisal of Pandava Strength

Devanagari script

एतस्य योधा राजेन्द्र विचित्रकवचायुधा: । विचरिष्यन्ति संग्रामे निघ्नन्तः शात्रवांस्तव,राजेन्द्र! उनके सैनिक विचित्र कवच और अस्त्र-शस्त्र धारण करके तुम्हारे शत्रुओंका संहार करते हुए संग्रामभूमिमें विचरण करेंगे

Transliteration

etasya yodhā rājendra vicitrakavacāyudhāḥ | vicarīṣyanti saṅgrāme nighnantaḥ śātravāṁs tava ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai raja, para pahlawan di bawahnya—berbaju zirah yang mengagumkan dan bersenjata pelbagai—akan merentas medan perang sambil menumpaskan musuh-musuh tuanku.”

Word by Word

एतस्यof this (one)

योधाःwarriors/soldiers

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

विचित्रकवचायुधाःhaving varied armor and weapons

विचरिष्यन्तिthey will roam/move about

संग्रामेin battle

निघ्नन्तःkilling/slaying

शात्रवान्enemies

तवyour

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

rājendra (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)

yodhāḥ (warriors)

kavaca (armor)

āyudha (weapons)

saṅgrāma (battlefield)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the king’s reliance on well-equipped, disciplined warriors and the protective role of martial preparedness; it reflects the kṣatriya-world ethic where safeguarding one’s side and confronting hostile forces is treated as a royal necessity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses the king, assuring him that the warriors aligned with the person being discussed will move through the battlefield in splendid armor and with weapons, actively destroying the king’s enemies—an encouragement framed as strategic confidence before war.