Shloka 12
Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa
Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment
विश्वसृग् यत्र गोविन्द: पृतनानीस्तथार्जुन: । तत्र कस्य बल क्रामेदन्यत्र त्यम्बकात् प्रभो:,“जहाँ जगत्स्रष्टा भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण तथा अर्जुन सेनानायक हों, वहाँ भगवान् शंकरके सिवा दूसरे किस पुरुषका बल काम कर सकता है
viśvasṛg yatra govindaḥ pṛtanānīs tathārjunaḥ | tatra kasya bala-krāmed anyatra tryambakāt prabhoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Where Govinda, the very creator and sustainer of the world, stands, and where Arjuna serves as the commander of the forces, whose strength could possibly prevail there—except that of the Lord Tryambaka (Śiva) alone?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that when divine guidance (Kṛṣṇa) and exemplary human agency (Arjuna as commander) are united, ordinary power cannot overcome them; only a supreme divine force like Śiva is even conceivable as comparable. It frames victory as rooted in divine alignment rather than mere martial might.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizes the formidable advantage of the Pāṇḍavas: Kṛṣṇa’s presence with Arjuna makes their side effectively unconquerable, underscoring the moral and strategic weight of their alliance.