भीष्म उवाच
पाञ्चालराजस्य सुतो राजन् परपुरंजयः ॥
शिखण्डी रथमुख्यो मे मतः पार्थस्य भारत ॥
एष योत्स्यति संग्रामे नाशयन् पूर्वसंस्थितिम् ॥
परं यशो विप्रथयंस् तव सेनासु भारत ॥
एतस्य बहुलाः सेनाः पाञ्चालाश् च प्रभद्रकाः ॥
तेनासौ रथवंशेन महत् कर्म करिष्यति ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नश् च सेनानीः सर्वसेनासु भारत ॥
मतो मे ऽतिरथो राजन् द्रोणशिष्यो महारथः ॥
एष योत्स्यति संग्रामे सूदयन् वै परान् रणे ॥
भगवान् इव संक्रुद्धः पिनाकी युगसंक्षये ॥
bhīṣma uvāca
pāñcālarājasya suto rājan parapuraṃjayaḥ ||
śikhaṇḍī rathamukhyo me mataḥ pārthasya bhārata ||
eṣa yotsyati saṃgrāme nāśayan pūrvasaṃsthitim ||
paraṃ yaśo viprathayaṃs tava senāsu bhārata ||
etasya bahulāḥ senāḥ pāñcālāś ca prabhadrakāḥ ||
tenāsau rathavaṃśena mahat karma kariṣyati ||
dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca senānīḥ sarvasenāsu bhārata ||
mato me 'tiratho rājan droṇaśiṣyo mahārathaḥ ||
eṣa yotsyati saṃgrāme sūdayan vai parān raṇe ||
bhagavān iva saṃkruddhaḥ pinākī yugasaṃkṣaye ||
Bhishma said: The son of the king of the Panchalas, O king -- Shikhandin, conqueror of enemy cities -- is, in my judgment, the foremost ratha of Partha, O Bharata. He will fight in the battle, shattering the old order and spreading the highest glory among your troops, O Bharata. His forces are numerous -- the Panchalas and the Prabhadrakas -- and with this array of chariots he will accomplish a great deed. Dhrishtadyumna, commander of all the armies, O Bharata, disciple of Drona and a maharatha, is in my judgment an atiratha, O king. In the battle he will fight, slaying his foes, like the blessed Pinaki enraged at the end of the age.
0e1acb733f3f · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
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Bhishma continues to unfold the full breadth of the Pandavas' strength: behind the principal heroes stands a dense circle of Panchalas, Chedis, Kekayas, Kashis, and other allies. What matters here is not numbers alone but the quality of the bond -- some fight from kinship, others from devotion to Arjuna, still others for the glory of the Pandavas. The battlefield thus emerges as a web of loyalty and personal commitment, where each ally becomes part of one shared strength.