Shloka 18
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
राक्षसेष्वथ यक्षेषु नरेषु कुत एव तु । भूतो5थवा भविष्यो वा रथ: वक्चिन्मया श्रुत:
rākṣaseṣv atha yakṣeṣu nareṣu kuta eva tu | bhūto 'thavā bhaviṣyo vā rathaḥ kaścin mayā śrutaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Di kalangan raksasa dan yaksha—apatah lagi manusia—tiada seorang pun yang sebanding. Sama ada pada masa lampau atau masa hadapan, belum pernah aku dengar adanya pahlawan kereta perang seperti dia.” Dengan pujian ini, Bhīṣma menegaskan keunggulan ketenteraan Arjuna yang tiada bandingan, sambil menyiratkan bahawa keperkasaan sejati yang jarang itu harus diselaraskan dengan tujuan dharma, bukan dengan kesombongan atau kekejaman.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Exceptional power and skill are acknowledged as rare and almost unparalleled, but the implied ethical point is that such prowess gains true worth only when directed by dharma rather than by arrogance or destructive intent.
Bhīṣma is speaking in the Udyoga Parva context of assessing warriors and the coming conflict, offering authoritative praise that no being—whether among supernatural classes or humans, in past or future—matches the chariot-warrior he has in mind (understood as Arjuna).