Shloka 24
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
को हि गाण्डीवधन्वानं रणे सोढुं नरो$हति । यमुपश्रुत्य सेनाग्रे जन: सर्वो विदीर्यते,सेनाके प्रमुख भागमें जिनका नाम सुनकर ही सारे सैनिक विदीर्ण हो जाते (भाग निकलते) हैं, उन्हीं गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनका वेग रणक्षेत्रमें कौन मनुष्य सह सकता है?
ko hi gāṇḍīvadhanvānaṃ raṇe soḍhuṃ naro 'rhati | yam upaśrutya senāgre janaḥ sarvo vidīryate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “For who among men could endure in battle the onrush of Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva? Hearing even his name at the very front of the army, all the troops are thrown into disarray and scatter.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a warrior’s established prowess and reputation can shape the ethics and reality of war: morale, fear, and resolve become decisive forces. It underscores the kṣatriya ideal of formidable strength, while also implying that psychological collapse in battle can occur even before weapons clash.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna’s battlefield impact: he is so renowned as the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva that, at the army’s front, merely hearing his name causes soldiers to break formation and scatter. The statement functions as a rhetorical praise of Arjuna’s irresistible momentum in the ongoing conflict of the Droṇa Parva.