Shloka 186

Devanagari script

ऋते महेन्द्रतनयाच्छवेताश्वात्‌ कृष्णसारथे: । कृष्णसारथि, श्वेतवाहन महेन्द्रकुमार अर्जुनको छोड़कर दूसरा कोई भी पाण्डव महारथी भरतकुलके उस महाबली वीरको जीतने या उसके सामने जानेका साहस किसी प्रकार न कर सका

Transliteration

ṛte mahendratanayāc chvetāśvāt kṛṣṇasārathēḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Except for Arjuna—the son of Indra, riding the white horses with Kṛṣṇa as his charioteer—no other Pāṇḍava, though a great chariot-warrior, could muster the courage to conquer that mighty hero of Bharata’s line, or even to stand before him. The verse underscores how, in the moral pressure of war, true capacity is measured not only by weapons but by steadiness of heart and the support of righteous counsel.

Word by Word

• ऋते: except, without
• ऋते: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऋते
• Form: indeclinable; governs ablative (pañcamī)

• महेन्द्रतनयात्: from the son of Mahendra (Indra), i.e., Arjuna
• महेन्द्रतनयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेन्द्रतनय
• Form: masculine; ablative; singular

• श्वेताश्वात्: from (him) of white horses
• श्वेताश्वात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेताश्व
• Form: masculine; ablative; singular

• कृष्णसारथेः: of the one whose charioteer is Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णसारथेः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णसारथि
• Form: masculine; genitive; singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Indra (Mahendra)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Pāṇḍavas
• Bharata lineage
• white horses (Arjuna’s chariot team)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that true martial excellence includes inner courage and steadiness, and it implicitly elevates the role of righteous guidance—symbolized by Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna’s charioteer—showing how ethical counsel and clarity can enable one to face overwhelming power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that among the Pāṇḍavas, only Arjuna—identified by his divine parentage (Indra) and his chariot with white horses, guided by Kṛṣṇa—was able to confront and potentially defeat the formidable Bharata-line hero; the others could not bring themselves to face him.