सिंहसंहननाः सर्वे पाण्डुपुत्रा महाबलाः ॥
चरितब्रह्मचर्याश् च सर्वे चातितपस्विनः ॥
ह्रीमन्तः पुरुषव्याघ्रा व्याघ्रा इव बलोत्कटाः ॥
जवे प्रहारे संमर्दे सर्व एवातिमानुषाः ॥
सर्वे जितमहीपाला दिग्जये भरतर्षभ ॥
न चैषां पुरुषाः के चिद् आयुधानि गदाः शरान् ॥
विषहन्ति सदा कर्तुम् अधिज्यान्य् अपि कौरव ॥
उद्यन्तुं वा गदां गुर्वीं शरान् वापि प्रकर्षितुम् ॥
जवे लक्ष्यस्य हरणे भोज्ये पांसुविकर्षणे ॥
बालैर् अपि भवन्तस् तैः सर्व एव विशेषिताः ॥
ते ते सैन्यं समासाद्य व्याघ्रा इव बलोत्कटाः ॥
विध्वंसयिष्यन्ति रणे मा स्म तैः सह संगमः ॥
siṃhasaṃhananāḥ sarve pāṇḍuputrā mahābalāḥ ||
caritabrahmacaryāś ca sarve cātitapasvinaḥ ||
hrīmantaḥ puruṣavyāghrā vyāghrā iva balotkaṭāḥ ||
jave prahāre saṃmarde sarva evātimānuṣāḥ ||
sarve jitamahīpālā digjaye bharatarṣabha ||
na caiṣāṃ puruṣāḥ ke cid āyudhāni gadāḥ śarān ||
viṣahanti sadā kartum adhijyāny api kaurava ||
udyantuṃ vā gadāṃ gurvīṃ śarān vāpi prakarṣitum ||
jave lakṣyasya haraṇe bhojye pāṃsuvikarṣaṇe ||
bālair api bhavantas taiḥ sarva eva viśeṣitāḥ ||
te te sainyaṃ samāsādya vyāghrā iva balotkaṭāḥ ||
vidhvaṃsayiṣyanti raṇe mā sma taiḥ saha saṃgamaḥ ||
'All the sons of Pandu are mighty, of leonine build; all of them observed brahmacharya, and all are great ascetics. Possessed of a sense of honor, tigers among men, strong as tigers, in speed, in striking, and in the melee all of them are superhuman. All of them conquered earthly rulers in the conquest of the quarters, O best of the Bharatas. Among men no one is able to constantly wield their weapons, their maces and arrows, even when strung to the bow, O Kaurava, or to raise their heavy mace, or to draw their arrows. In speed, in striking the mark, in eating, and even in scuffling in the dust, you were all surpassed by them while they were still children. Once they reach your army, strong as tigers, they will shatter it in battle; do not let there be an encounter with them.'
f7cdfa1f132e · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Bhishma sharply checks Karna, but he does so to preserve the army: before a battle begins, discord within is more dangerous than the enemy without. His subsequent speech about the Pandavas then reads as a sober warning to Duryodhana. He lists not only their strength, stature, and weapons but also the memory of Draupadi's humiliation and the dice game — precisely this memory will fuel their fighting. A special place is given to Arjuna together with Krishna: here the ratha is assessed not merely as a warrior but as an entire fighting reality, in which charioteer, weapons, horses, armor, astras, and inner resolve are joined into a single force.