Shloka 21
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
सात्यकिश्व महातेजा युयुत्सुश्न महारथ: । को नु तान् विपरीतात्मा युद्धयेत भरतर्षभ
sātyakiś ca mahātejā yuyutsuś ca mahārathaḥ | ko nu tān viparītātmā yuddhayeta bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Und Sātyaki, ein Mann von großem Glanz, und Yuyutsu, ein mächtiger Wagenkrieger—o Stier unter den Bhāratas, wer würde, von verkehrtem Urteil geleitet, den Krieg gegen solche Männer wählen?“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that choosing war against a side strengthened by eminent and dharma-aligned heroes is both strategically irrational and ethically distorted; such a choice reflects viparīta-buddhi (perverse judgment) rather than wise counsel grounded in dharma.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, highlights the formidable presence of Sātyaki and Yuyutsu among the warriors, and rhetorically asks who would dare oppose such men—emphasizing the gravity of the impending conflict and the folly of provoking it.