रथ एष महाराज मतो मम नरर्षभः ॥
त्वदर्थे त्यक्ष्यति प्राणान् सह सैन्यो महारणे ॥
एष विक्रान्तयोधी च चित्रयोधी च संगरे ॥
वीतभीश् चापि ते राजञ् शात्रवैः सह योत्स्यते ॥
बाह्लीको ऽतिरथश् चैव समरे चानिवर्तिता ॥
मम राजन् मतो युद्धे शूरो वैवस्वतोपमः ॥
न ह्य् एष समरं प्राप्य निवर्तेत कथं चन ॥
यथा सततगो राजन् नाभिहत्य परान् रणे ॥
सेनापतिर् महाराज सत्यवांस् ते महारथः ॥
रणेष्व् अद्भुतकर्मा च रथः पररथारुजः ॥
ratha eṣa mahārāja mato mama nararṣabhaḥ ||
tvadarthe tyakṣyati prāṇān saha sainyo mahāraṇe ||
eṣa vikrāntayodhī ca citrayodhī ca saṃgare ||
vītabhīś cāpi te rājañ śātravaiḥ saha yotsyate ||
bāhlīko 'tirathaś caiva samare cānivartitā ||
mama rājan mato yuddhe śūro vaivasvatopamaḥ ||
na hy eṣa samaraṃ prāpya nivarteta kathaṃ cana ||
yathā satatago rājan nābhihatya parān raṇe ||
senāpatir mahārāja satyavāṃs te mahārathaḥ ||
raṇeṣv adbhutakarmā ca rathaḥ pararathārujaḥ ||
This warrior, O great king, is in my opinion a ratha, O best of men; for your sake he will give up his life together with his army in the great battle. He is a valiant warrior and a skilled fighter in combat; free of fear, he will battle your enemies, O king. Bahlika is an atiratha and does not retreat in battle; in my opinion, O king, in war he is a hero like Vaivasvata. Once he has entered battle, he will by no means turn back without striking down enemies in combat, O king, like a warrior who is ever advancing. The senapati, O great king, your truthful maharatha, performs astonishing deeds in battles; he is a ratha, a breaker of enemy chariots.
4fb47eb9237c · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Bhishma goes on to weigh not only the warriors' strength but the limits of that strength. Ashvatthaman is nearly boundless in weaponry, yet his attachment to life makes any reckoning of him uncertain; Drona is capable of destroying entire armies, yet his love for Arjuna restrains his hand. In this way the roster of ratha warriors becomes not a dry military ledger but a map of inner knots: valor, attachment, old pacts, past enmity, and personal debts all enter the battle together with the weapons.