Shloka 14
नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct
Nṛśaṃsa
अक्षौहिण्यो दशैका च सप्त चैव महाद्युते । बलेन न समा राजजन्नर्जुनस्य महात्मन:,महातेजस्वी नरेश! अठारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ भी बलमें महात्मा अर्जुनके समान नहीं हैं
akṣauhiṇyo daśaikā ca sapta caiva mahādyute | balena na samā rājan arjunasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Bhishma nói: “Tâu Đại vương oai dũng, dù mười và một, lại thêm bảy nữa—tức trọn mười tám đạo quân akṣauhiṇī—cũng không thể sánh về sức mạnh với Arjuna, bậc đại hồn.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Numerical superiority alone does not guarantee victory; concentrated excellence—skill, resolve, and righteous or divinely aligned power—can outweigh vast forces. The verse highlights the ethical lesson that true strength is qualitative, not merely quantitative.
Bhīṣma addresses a king and emphasizes Arjuna’s unmatched martial potency, declaring that even the combined strength of eighteen full army-divisions (akṣauhiṇīs) cannot equal Arjuna’s might.