Shloka 14
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 126 — Kṛṣṇa’s Indictment of Misrule and the Varuṇa Analogy (कृष्णवाक्यं–धर्मपाशदृष्टान्तः)
न हि भीष्मकृपद्रोणा: सकर्णा मधुसूदन । देवैरपि युधा जेतुं शक््या: किमुत पाण्डवै:,“मधुसूदन! भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य और कर्णको तो देवता भी युद्धमें नहीं जीत सकते; फिर पाण्डवोंकी तो बात ही क्या है?
na hi bhīṣma-kṛpa-droṇāḥ sa-karṇā madhusūdana | devair api yudhā jetuṃ śakyāḥ kim uta pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
மதுசூதனனே! பீஷ்மன், துரோணன், கிருபாசாரியன், கர்ணன்—இவர்களைத் தேவர்கள்கூட போரில் வெல்ல இயலாது; அப்படியிருக்க பாண்டவர்கள் என்ன செய்ய முடியும்?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the perceived invincibility of great warriors and highlights human limitation in the face of extraordinary martial excellence. Ethically, it frames the coming war as not merely a contest of numbers but of dharma, strategy, and the weight of formidable elders—implying that victory cannot be assumed and must be pursued with sober judgment.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a statement addressed to Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) emphasizing that Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Karṇa are so powerful that even the gods could not defeat them in battle—therefore the Pāṇḍavas’ task appears even more daunting. The line functions as an assessment of the Kaurava side’s military strength in the lead-up to war.