Shloka 76
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
न तु भीष्मो महातेजा: शक््यो जेतुं महाबल: । 'क्रोधमें भरे हुए यमराज
na tu bhīṣmo mahātejāḥ śakyo jetuṃ mahābalaḥ | krodhena pūrṇo yamārājo vajradhārī indraḥ pāśadhārī varuṇo vā gadādhārī kuberaḥ api kadācit yuddhe jetuṃ śakyante; parantu mahātejā mahābalo bhīṣmaḥ jetum aśakyaḥ |
Disse Sañjaya: “Mas Bhīṣma—poderoso em força e ardente em esplendor—não pode ser conquistado. Até Yama em cólera, Indra portador do raio, Varuṇa que empunha o laço, ou Kubera que traz a maça, poderiam, em algum momento, ser vencidos em batalha; porém Bhīṣma, tão grande em poder e brilho, é impossível de derrotar.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of Bhīṣma: some opponents may be defeated by circumstance, but Bhīṣma’s prowess and moral-gravitational authority on the battlefield make him effectively unconquerable. It highlights how dharmic reputation, discipline, and long-earned mastery can create a power that exceeds even mythic comparisons.
Sañjaya, reporting the war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes Bhīṣma’s battlefield supremacy. By comparing him to major deities armed with their signature weapons, he conveys the dread and inevitability felt by the opposing side: defeating Bhīṣma is portrayed as beyond ordinary possibility.