Shloka 23

भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्

Amba-ākhyāna prologue

Devanagari script

मां च द्रोणं कृपं चैव यथा सम्मन्यते भवान्‌,रथ एकगुणो महां ज्ञेय: परपुरंजय: । अयं च युधि विक्रान्तो मन्तव्योडष्टगुणो रथ: मेरी दृष्टिमें शत्रुनगरीपर विजय पानेवाले काशिराजको साधारण अवस्थामें एक रथी समझना चाहिये; परंतु जिस समय ये युद्धमें पराक्रम प्रकट करने लगते हैं उस समय इन्हें आठ रथियोंके बराबर मानना चाहिये

Transliteration

māṃ ca droṇaṃ kṛpaṃ caiva yathā samman yate bhavān | ratha ekaguṇo mahān jñeyaḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ | ayaṃ ca yudhi vikrānto mantavyo 'ṣṭaguṇo rathaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Sebagaimana tuanku menilai aku, Droṇa dan Kṛpa, demikianlah hendaknya tuanku menaksir pahlawan agung ini—penakluk kota-kota musuh. Dalam ukuran biasa, dia patut dianggap setara seorang pahlawan kereta; namun apabila dia menzahirkan keberaniannya di medan perang, hendaklah dia dihitung setara lapan pahlawan kereta.”

Word by Word

• {'mām': 'me (Bhīṣma)', 'droṇam': 'Droṇa (the preceptor and warrior)', 'kṛpam': 'Kṛpa (Gautama/Kṛpācārya, warrior and teacher)', 'caiva': 'and indeed', 'yathā': 'as, in the manner that', 'sam-manyate': 'esteems, considers, regards', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'rathaḥ / rathī': 'chariot(-warrior)

• a warrior measured by chariot-combat capacity', 'ekaguṇaḥ': 'of one measure

• single-fold (equal to one unit)', 'mahān': 'great, eminent', 'jñeyaḥ': 'should be known/understood as', 'parapuraṃjayaḥ': 'conqueror of enemy cities/strongholds', 'ayam': 'this one (the warrior being assessed)', 'yudhi': 'in battle', 'vikrāntaḥ': 'valiant, displaying prowess', 'mantavyaḥ': 'to be considered, to be reckoned', 'aṣṭaguṇaḥ': 'eightfold

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Droṇa
• Kṛpa
• Parapuraṃjaya (conqueror of enemy cities)
• Kāśirāja (King of Kāśi, as per the Gītā Press gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma distinguishes between nominal rank and battlefield performance: a warrior may be counted as a single rathī in ordinary estimation, yet in the heat of combat his effective power can rise dramatically—here, to an eightfold measure. The ethical point is sober, strategic appraisal rather than flattery or contempt.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s war-counsel context, Bhīṣma is advising how to evaluate key fighters. He references how the listener esteems senior warriors like Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa, and then gives a calibrated assessment of the ‘conqueror of enemy cities’—identified in the Gītā Press note as the King of Kāśi—whose combat potency increases when he is fully engaged in battle.