Shloka 35
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
समेतं पार्थिव क्षत्रं काशिराजस्वयंवरे । निर्जित्यैकरथेनैव या: कन्यास्तरसा हृता:
sametaṁ pārthiva kṣatraṁ kāśirāja-svayaṁvare | nirjityaika-rathenaiva yāḥ kanyās tarasā hṛtāḥ ||
ਕਾਸ਼ੀਰਾਜ ਦੇ ਸਵਯੰਵਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਧਰਤੀ ਦੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਛਤਰੀ ਰਾਜੇ ਇਕੱਠੇ ਹੋਏ ਸਨ; ਪਰ ਮੈਂ ਇਕੱਲਾ, ਇਕ ਹੀ ਰਥ ਉੱਤੇ ਚੜ੍ਹ ਕੇ, ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਜਿੱਤਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਤੇਜ਼ੀ ਨਾਲ ਬਲਪੂਰਵਕ ਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਰਾਜਕੁਮਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਹਰਨ ਕਰ ਲੈ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension in dharma: kṣatriya prowess and socially recognized martial norms (such as forceful taking in certain contexts) can conflict with personal autonomy and later moral consequences. Bhīṣma frames his act as a feat of valor and legitimacy in a royal contest, inviting reflection on how power-based customs are ethically evaluated.
Bhīṣma recalls the Kāśī svayaṃvara where many kings had assembled. He says he defeated them single-handedly from one chariot and forcibly carried away the Kāśī princesses—an event that leads into the well-known chain of consequences involving the Kāśī princesses (notably Amba) and Bhīṣma’s later trials.