Shloka 71
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
स बाहुभ्यां सागरमुत्तितीर्षे- न्महोदथिं सलिलस्याप्रमेयम् । तेजस्विनं कृष्णमत्यन्तशूरं युद्धेन यो वासुदेवं जिगीषेत्
sa bāhubhyāṃ sāgaram uttitīrṣen mahodadhiṃ salilasyāprameyam | tejasvinaṃ kṛṣṇam atyantaśūraṃ yuddhena yo vāsudevaṃ jigīṣet ||
Sañjaya sprach: Wer Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa im Kampf besiegen will — Kṛṣṇa, strahlend und von höchster Tapferkeit —, der gleicht einem Mann, der den Ozean, dieses weite und unermessliche Wassermeer, allein mit seinen beiden Armen durchschwimmen möchte. Das Bild betont die Vergeblichkeit und die moralische Blindheit, sich dem göttlich geführten Beschützer des Dharma mit bloßer Gewalt entgegenzustellen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Opposing Kṛṣṇa—portrayed as radiant, supremely heroic, and aligned with dharma—is depicted as inherently futile, like trying to cross the immeasurable ocean by one’s own arms. The verse warns against prideful aggression and urges discernment about where righteousness and divine support stand.
Sañjaya comments on the prospect of confronting Kṛṣṇa in war, using a striking simile: anyone who thinks he can defeat Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa is like someone attempting to swim across the boundless sea. It functions as counsel and forewarning within the tense pre-war deliberations of the Udyoga Parva.