अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् |
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् || 10||
aparyāptaṁ tadasmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣhmābhirakṣhitam
paryāptaṁ tvidameteṣhāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣhitam
English Translation : The strength of our army is unlimited and we are safely marshalled by Grandsire Bheeshma, while the strength of the Pandava army, carefully marshalled by Bheem, is limited.
Duryodhana’s Deluded Boast
Duryodhana’s chest puffed out with swaggering bravado as his gaze fell upon the towering figure of Bhishma, the battle-hardened patriarch and supreme commander of the Kaurava forces. In the famed grandsire, the arrogant prince beheld a nigh-invincible bulwark girding their cause.
“Look upon him, the immortal Bhishma!” Duryodhana crowed, his voice dripping with hubris. “What strength, what power we possess with such a legendary warrior to marshal our forces. His very presence renders our army’s might beyond measure, unlimited in its capacity to conquer!”
The vain prince’s boast oozed with spurious confidence, belying the grave truth weighing upon Bhishma’s wizened heart. For the revered elder knew better than any that true unlimited strength flowed from upholding dharma – a principle both sides in this ruinous conflict had grievously violated, perpetuating an endless cycle of vengeance and sorrow.
Bhishma remained stoically silent as Duryodhana contrasted him against the Pandava forces’ guardian, the mighty Bhima. With a disdainful sneer, the selfish prince dismissed as meager and overmatched the quarter helmed by his ethically-superior cousin and lifelong nemesis.
Yet Duryodhana’s taunts could not rattle Bhishma’s steadfast core, for he perceived kernels of profoundly tragic truth obscured by the young king’s arrogance and moral blindness. Yes, he would lead the Kauravas into this apocalyptic conflagration, bound by vows and duty to the kingdom he had sworn to protect.
But the path ahead would bring only ruin, a cataclysm fueled by injustice, betrayal, and insatiable ambition on all sides. Bhishma knew the wheels of karma turned inexorably toward a reckoning – and even his formidable martial skill could not spare the Kuru dynasty from its rapidly approaching destruction.
As his grandson raved, proclaiming their inevitable conquest, Bhishma remained an island of somber calm. For he knew that when feckless men forsake dharma and paid heed only to their darker impulses, no warrior’s strength could shield them from just consequences. Duryodhana’s delusions of unlimited might were folly that would soon be consumed in the raging fires to come.
