Shloka 13
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
'युद्धभूमिमें यदि वे विजयके लिये यत्नशील हों तो सम्पूर्ण देवता भी उन्हें परास्त नहीं कर सकते। मूढ़ मनुष्य उन नर-नारायण ऋषिको नहीं जान सकेंगे ।।
yuddhabhūmau yadi te vijayāya yatnaśīlā bhaveyuḥ, samagrā api devatāḥ tān parājayituṁ na śaknuyuḥ | mūḍhā manuṣyāḥ tau nara-nārāyaṇa-ṛṣī na jñāsyanti || tasyāham agrajaḥ putraḥ sarvasya jagataḥ prabhuḥ | vāsudevo ’rcanīyo vaḥ sarva-loka-maheśvaraḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Se aqueles dois se empenharem pela vitória no campo de batalha, nem mesmo todos os deuses juntos poderão derrotá-los. Os homens iludidos não reconhecerão aqueles ṛṣi, Nara e Nārāyaṇa. ‘Eu sou Brahmā, o senhor de todo o universo, e o filho primogênito desse Senhor Supremo. Portanto, todos vós deveis adorar Vāsudeva, o grande Senhor de todos os mundos.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True power is grounded in the divine; those aligned with the Supreme (here identified with Nara–Nārāyaṇa and Vāsudeva) are beyond ordinary conquest. The verse urges devotion and right recognition of the Lord, warning that delusion prevents people from perceiving divine reality.
Bhīṣma, speaking in the Bhīṣma Parva, extols the invincibility and divine status of Nara and Nārāyaṇa and connects that divinity to Vāsudeva. He instructs the listeners to worship Vāsudeva, presenting him as the supreme Lord over all worlds.