Mahabharata · 5.169.21
॥
Devanāgarī
सर्वांस् त्व् अन्यान् हनिष्यामि पार्थिवान् भरतर्षभ ॥
यान् समेष्यामि समरे न तु कुन्तीसुतान् नृप ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sarvāṃs tv anyān haniṣyāmi pārthivān bharatarṣabha ||
yān sameṣyāmi samare na tu kuntīsutān nṛpa ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सर्वांस्sarvāṃsall; each
त्व्tvbut; indeed
अन्यान्anyānothers; the rest
हनिष्यामिhaniṣyāmiI will slay; I will destroy
पार्थिवान्pārthivānearthly rulers; kings; kshatriyas
भरतर्षभbharatarṣabhaO bull among the Bharatas; O best of the Bharatas
यान्yānwhom; those whom
समेष्यामिsameṣyāmiI shall meet; I shall encounter
समरेsamarein battle; in the fight
नnanot; no
तुtubut; however
कुन्तीसुतान्kuntīsutānsons of Kunti; the Pandavas
नृपnṛpaO king; ruler
Translation
All the other kings, O best of the Bharatas, whom I meet in battle, I shall slay -- but not the sons of Kunti, O king.
Version
09133d0fddf4 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Bhishma completes his assessment of the Pandava army while at the same time laying bare his own limits. He is ready to meet Arjuna and Krishna, ready to hold back kings and allies, yet he refuses to fight Shikhandin because of his own vow and Shikhandin's former birth as a woman. This limit is not weakness but fidelity to his word: even on the threshold of the great war, Bhishma remains bound by the dharma of his own vow.