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 |
毗湿摩之言既出，诸王心神俱动，骤然情绪翻涌；他们忆起般度诸子往昔的雄威，鲜明得仿佛亲眼所见。此一回忆使其自信顿挫，转而陷入忧惧的沉思；因为般度族力量之真实，在他们的内观之前宛如直接现量一般昭然呈现。
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.