Shloka 9
उत्तरो भयविषण्णः — बृहन्नडेन धैर्योपदेशः
Uttara’s Panic and Bṛhannadā’s Stabilizing Counsel
पश्येयुरद्य मे वीर्य कुरवस्ते समागता: । कि नु पार्थोडर्जुन: साक्षादयमस्मान् प्रबाधते,अच्छा, जब कौरवलोग यहाँ आ ही गये हैं, तब आज मेरा पराक्रम देख लें। फिर तो वे कहेंगे--'क्या यह साक्षात् कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन ही हमें पीड़ा दे रहा है?”
paśyeyur adya me vīryaṁ kuravas te samāgatāḥ | ki nu pārtho 'rjunaḥ sākṣād ayam asmān prabādhate ||
Uttara sagte: „Da jene Kurus nun hier eingetroffen sind, sollen sie heute meine Tapferkeit sehen. Dann werden sie gewiss sagen: ‚Ist dieser Mann etwa Pārtha Arjuna selbst, der Sohn der Kuntī, der uns so hart bedrängt?‘“
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya concern for honor and public reputation, while also hinting at the danger of youthful pride: Uttara seeks recognition for valor, yet measures success by whether enemies mistake him for Arjuna—showing how true excellence becomes a standard that others are compared to.
As the Kauravas have come near, Uttara boasts that they will see his prowess. He imagines that his attack will be so formidable that the Kurus will suspect the assailant is none other than Arjuna himself.