Shloka 171
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौषं सत्कृतां मत्स्यराज्ञा सुतां दत्तामुत्तरामर्जुनाय । तां चार्जुन: प्रत्यगृह्नात् सुतार्थे तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जिस दिन मैंने यह बात सुनी कि मत्स्यराज विराटने अपनी प्रिय एवं सम्मानित पुत्री उत्तराको अर्जुनके हाथ अर्पित कर दिया, परंतु अर्जुनने अपने लिये नहीं, अपने पुत्रके लिये उसे स्वीकार किया, संजय! उसी दिनसे मैं विजयकी आशा नहीं करता था
yadāśrauṣaṃ satkṛtāṃ matsyarājñā sutāṃ dattām uttarām arjunāya | tāṃ cārjunaḥ pratyagṛhṇāt sutārthe tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya saṃjaya ||
When I heard that King Virāṭa of the Matsyas had offered his honored daughter Uttarā to Arjuna, and that Arjuna accepted her not for himself but for his son, then, Sañjaya, from that very day I no longer expected victory.
Educational Q&A
True strength is grounded in dharma: Arjuna’s refusal to take Uttarā for himself and his acceptance of her for his son exemplify self-control and propriety. Such ethical conduct is portrayed as a decisive, fate-shaping advantage, making opponents doubt their own prospects.
The speaker recalls hearing that King Virāṭa offered his daughter Uttarā to Arjuna. Arjuna, however, receives the proposal on behalf of his son (traditionally Abhimanyu). This news becomes an omen: the speaker tells Sañjaya that from that day he stopped expecting victory against the Pāṇḍavas.