Shloka 28
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
मनोभि: सह संवेगै: संस्मृत्य च पुरातनम् । सामर्थ्य पाण्डवेयानां यथा प्रत्यक्षदर्शनात्
manobhiḥ saha saṁvegaiḥ saṁsmṛtya ca purātanam | sāmarthya-pāṇḍaveyānāṁ yathā pratyakṣa-darśanāt | vaiśampāyana uvāca |
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “O Janamejaya, nang marinig nila ang mga salita ni Bhishma, nayanig ang kanilang isipan at sinakmal ng biglaang damdamin; naalaala nila ang sinaunang lakas at kabayanihan ng mga Pāṇḍava na tila nakikita nila mismo. Dahil sa pag-alaalang iyon, lumuwag ang kanilang tiwala sa sarili at napigil sila sa balisang pagninilay, sapagkat ang katotohanan ng lakas ng mga Pāṇḍava ay tumindig sa harap ng mata ng kanilang loob na parang tuwirang pagtanaw.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how truthful counsel and remembrance of past deeds can correct overconfidence: when the real strength of an opponent is recalled as vividly as direct perception, pride gives way to sober, ethically charged deliberation about the consequences of war.
After Bhīṣma speaks, the assembled kings mentally revisit the Pāṇḍavas’ earlier feats. The recollection strikes them with emotional force, as though they are witnessing those exploits again, and this inner ‘direct vision’ unsettles their previous composure.