Shloka 53
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
नहि ते संयुगे पीडां शक्त: कर्तु महाबल: । तस्मादद्य महाबाहो यत्नाद् भीष्ममभिद्रव
nahi te saṁyuge pīḍāṁ śaktaḥ kartuṁ mahābalaḥ | tasmād adya mahābāho yatnād bhīṣmam abhidrava ||
नहि ते संयुगे पीडां शक्तः कर्तुं महाबलः । तस्मादद्य महाबाहो यत्नाद् भीष्ममभिद्रव ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes steadfast resolve in the performance of one’s duty in war: do not be paralyzed by fear of a formidable opponent; act with disciplined effort toward the necessary objective.
Sañjaya reports an exhortation to a heroic warrior (addressed as “mahābāho”) that the opposing mighty fighter cannot truly overpower him in battle, and therefore he should, with determined effort, advance to engage Bhīṣma.