Shloka 27
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
अहमेको हनिष्यामि पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम् | सुयुद्धे राजशार्दूल यशो भीष्मं गमिष्यति
aham eko haniṣyāmi pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm | suyuddhe rājasārdūla yaśo bhīṣmaṃ gamiṣyati ||
ਰਾਜ-ਸ਼ਾਰਦੂਲ! ਮੈਂ ਇਕੱਲਾ ਹੀ ਪਾਂਡਵਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੈਨਾ ਦਾ ਸੰਹਾਰ ਕਰ ਦਿਆਂਗਾ; ਪਰ ਸੁਯੁੱਧ ਵਿੱਚ ਯਸ਼ ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic in which one’s duty in battle and the pursuit of honor (yaśas) are treated as paramount; it also implicitly raises the moral strain of fulfilling loyalty to the throne even when it leads to violence against one’s own relatives.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma speaks with confidence to the king, asserting that he can single-handedly destroy the Pandavas’ forces and that, if the battle is fought properly, the resulting glory will be his.