Shloka 3
Uttara–Arjuna Saṃvāda and the Re-Arming of Gāṇḍīva
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 40
(नैभि: काममलं कर्तु कर्म वैजयिकं त्विह । अतिसूक्ष्माणि हस्वानि सर्वाणि च मृदूनि च । आयुधानि महाबाहो तवैतानि परंतप ।।) तस्माद् भूमिंजयारोह शमीमेतां पलाशिनीम्,'शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले महाबाहु उत्तर! तुम्हारे ये सभी अस्त्र-शस्त्र अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म, छोटे और कोमल हैं। इनके द्वारा यहाँ विजय दिलानेवाला पराक्रम नहीं किया जा सकता। इसलिये भूमिंजय! पत्तोंसे सुशोभित इस शमीवृक्षपर शीघ्र चढ़ जाओ
vaiśampāyana uvāca | naibhiḥ kāmam alaṃ kartuṃ karma vaijayikaṃ tv iha | atisūkṣmāṇi hrasvāni sarvāṇi ca mṛdūni ca | āyudhāni mahābāho tavaitāni paraṃtapa || tasmād bhūmiṃjaya āroha śamīm etāṃ palāśinīm |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Mit diesen wirst du hier nicht, wie du es wünschst, die Tat vollbringen, die den Sieg bringt. Deine Waffen, o Starkarmiger, Bezwinger der Feinde, sind allesamt überaus fein, klein und zart. Darum, o Bhūmiṃjaya, steig rasch auf diesen blätterreichen Śamī-Baum.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory requires appropriate means and clear judgment: delicate or unsuitable tools cannot achieve a decisive martial objective. The verse underscores practical discernment (yukti) aligned with a kṣatriya’s duty—choosing effective instruments rather than relying on wishful intent.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara is being directed regarding weapons: the arms at hand are described as too fine, small, and soft to secure victory in the present conflict. He is therefore instructed to climb a leafy śamī tree—contextually tied to retrieving or accessing proper weapons concealed there.