Shloka 32
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
आर्यव्रतममोधेषुं हीमनन्तमपराजितम् । सहदेवं तमायान्तं के शूरा: पर्यवारयन्,विषधर सर्पके समान क्रोधमें भरे हुए तथा तेजसे दुर्जय सहदेव जब युद्धमें शत्रुओंका संहार करते हुए द्रोणाचार्यके सामने आये, उस समय श्रेष्ठ व्रतधारी अमोघ बाणोंवाले लज्जाशील और अपराजित वीर सहदेवको आते देख किन शूरवीरोंने उन्हें रोका था?
āryavratam amogheṣuṁ hrīmantaṁ aparājitam | sahadevaṁ tam āyāntaṁ ke śūrāḥ paryavārayan ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Which warriors surrounded and checked Sahadeva as he advanced—Sahadeva, a follower of noble vows, whose arrows never failed, modest in bearing, and unconquered?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ideal warrior’s character: effectiveness in action (unfailing arrows) joined with ethical restraint (hrī, modesty) and steadfastness (unconquered). It frames martial excellence as compatible with noble vows (ārya-vrata), not mere aggression.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana poses a linking question: as Sahadeva advances in battle, which opposing heroes move to surround and stop him. The verse functions as a transition into naming or describing those who confront Sahadeva.