Shloka 28

भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा

Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors

Devanagari script

“नृपश्रेष्ठ! मैं इस युद्धमें अकेला ही पाण्डवोंकी सेनाका विनाश करूँगा; परंतु सारा यश भीष्मको मिल जायगा ।।

Transliteration

nṛpaśreṣṭha! aham asmin yuddhe ekākī eva pāṇḍavānāṁ senāyā vināśaṁ kariṣyāmi; kintu sarvaṁ yaśo bhīṣmasyaiva bhaviṣyati. kṛtaḥ senāpatistveṣa tvayā bhīṣmo narādhipa | senāpatau yaśo gantā na tu yodhān kathaṁcana ||

Translation

اے نریپ شریشٹھ! اس جنگ میں میں اکیلا ہی پانڈوؤں کی فوج کو نیست و نابود کر دوں گا؛ مگر یَش تو بھیشم ہی کو مل جائے گا۔ اے نرادھپ! تم نے اسی بھیشم کو سپہ سالار مقرر کیا ہے۔ فتح کی شہرت سپہ سالار ہی کو پہنچتی ہے، سپاہیوں کو نہیں—وہ چاہے جیسے بھی لڑیں۔

Word by Word

• कृतः: made/appointed
• कृतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सेनापतिः: commander (of the army)
• सेनापतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनापति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• एषः: this (man)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सेनापतौ: in/with regard to the commander
• सेनापतौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनापति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• यशः: fame/glory
• यशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• गच्छति: goes/comes (accrues)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• योधान्: warriors
• योधान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योद्धृ/योध (प्रातिपदिक; ‘warrior’)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कथंचन: in any way/at all
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• the Pandavas
• Kuru king (addressed as nṛpaśreṣṭha/narādhipa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma highlights how public credit and political glory tend to attach to leadership roles (the commander-in-chief) rather than to the many who actually fight. The verse reflects on responsibility, recognition, and the ethics of attributing merit in war and governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses the king, asserting his own capacity to devastate the Pandavas’ forces, but he points out that because he has been appointed commander, the renown of victory will be ascribed to him as senapati, not to the individual warriors.