Shloka 3
अध्याय १६९ — भीष्मस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रशंसा तथा शिखण्डिविषये नियमः
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava Forces and His Constraint Regarding Śikhaṇḍin
लब्धास्त्रश्चित्रयोधी च मनस्वी च दृढव्रत: । संस्मरन् वै परिकलेशं स्वपितुर्विक्रमिष्यति
labdhāstraś citrayodhī ca manasvī ca dṛḍhavrataḥ | saṃsmaran vai parikleśaṃ svapitur vikramiṣyati || mahābāhuḥ abhimanyuḥ ratha-yūthapatīnām api yūthapatiḥ | sa śatru-nāśako vīraḥ samarabhūmau arjuna-śrīkṛṣṇayor iva parākramī | sa astravidyāyāḥ vidhivat śikṣāṃ prāptaḥ | sa yuddhasya vicitrāḥ kalāḥ jānāti tathā dṛḍhatayā vratam pālayitā manasvī ca | sa pituḥ kleśaṃ smṛtvā avaśyaṃ parākramaṃ darśayiṣyati ||
भीष्म उवाच—महाबाहुरभिमन्युर्लब्धास्त्रश्चित्रयोधी मनस्वी दृढव्रतः। स्वपितुः क्लेशं संस्मरन् नूनं विक्रमं प्रदर्शयिष्यति। रथयूथपतीनामपि यूथपतिः, शत्रुनाशनः, समरेऽर्जुनकृष्णसमो महाबलः। अस्त्रविद्यायां विधिवदुपदिष्टः, युद्धस्य विचित्रकौशलानि वेत्ति; नियमस्थो दृढसंकल्पश्च पितुः दुःखस्मृत्या शौर्यं न जहाति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of kṣatriya discipline: proper training, steadfast vows, and courageous action. It also shows how remembrance of a parent’s hardship can become a moral impetus for righteous exertion—valor grounded in duty and resolve rather than mere aggression.
In Bhīṣma’s assessment of the warriors, he praises Abhimanyu as a highly trained and inventive fighter, a commander among commanders. Bhīṣma predicts that Abhimanyu will fight with exceptional courage, especially when he recalls his father’s suffering, and compares his battlefield prowess to that of Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa.