Shloka 3

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 165 — Bhīṣma’s Appraisal and Karṇa’s Rebuttal (भीष्म–कर्ण विवादः)

Devanagari script

एतस्य रथवंशे हि तिग्मवेगप्रहारिण: । काम्बोजानां महाराज शलभानामिवायति:

Transliteration

etasya rathavaṁśe hi tigmavegaprahāriṇaḥ | kāmbojānāṁ mahārāja śalabhānām ivāyatiḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: “Hỡi đại vương, trong dòng dõi chiến xa của dũng sĩ này quả có sức đánh dữ dội và nhanh như chớp. Đợt xung kích của người Kamboja ập đến kẻ thù như bầy châu chấu bất thần—dồn dập, mau lẹ, khó bề chống đỡ.”

Word by Word

एतस्यof this (man)

रथवंशेin the line/lineage of charioteers

हिindeed/for

तिग्मवेगप्रहारिणःof the striker/assailant with sharp speed

काम्बोजानाम्of the Kambojas

महाराजO great king

शलभानाम्of locusts

इवlike/as

आयतिःapproach/coming onrush

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Mahārāja (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in this context)

Kāmbojas

Ratha-vaṁśa (chariot-lineage)

Śalabha (locusts)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how inherited martial discipline and collective force can make an army’s advance irresistible; it cautions rulers to recognize the real momentum of trained warrior-groups and not underestimate a swift, coordinated assault.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing the fighting quality and terrifying advance associated with a particular warrior’s chariot-lineage, comparing the Kāmbojas’ onrush to a locust-swarm—an image meant to convey speed, density, and overwhelming impact in battle.