Shloka 35
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
बताओ तो सही, अर्जुनके सिवा दूसरा कौन ऐसा वीर है, जो साक्षात् विष्णु भगवानसे सुरक्षित यदुवंशियोंकी पुरीको, जिसकी उपमा देवराज इन्द्रद्वारा पालित देवनगरी अमरावतीसे दी जाती है, बलपूर्वक मथकर पुरुषोत्तम श्रीकृष्णकी छोटी बहिन सुभद्राका अपहरण कर सके ।। त्रिभुवनविभुमीक्षरेश्वरं क इह पुमान् भवमाह्दयेद् युधि । मृगवधकलहे ऋते*र्जुनात् सुरपतिवीर्यसमप्रभावत:,देवराज इन्द्रके समान बल और प्रभाव रखनेवाले अर्जुनको छोड़कर इस संसारमें दूसरा कौन ऐसा वीर पुरुष है, जो एक वन्य पशुको मारनेके विषयमें उठे हुए विवादके अवसरपर ईश्वरोंके भी ईश्वर त्रिलोकीनाथ भगवान् शंकरको भी युद्धके लिये ललकार सके
śalya uvāca — brūhi satyam, arjunāt pṛthag anyaḥ kaḥ sa vīraḥ yo viṣṇu-bhagavatā sākṣāt rakṣitāṃ yaduvaṃśināṃ purīṃ, yasyā upamā devarājena indrēṇa pālitāyāḥ devanagaryāḥ amarāvatyāḥ kriyate, balāt pramathya puruṣottama-śrīkṛṣṇasya kaniṣṭhāṃ bhaginīṃ subhadrāṃ apaharitum aśaknot? tribhuvana-vibhūmi-kṣareśvaraṃ ka iha pumān bhavam āhvayed yudhi, mṛga-vadha-kalahe ṛte ’rjunāt, surapati-vīrya-sama-prabhāvataḥ.
Shalya said: “Tell me truly—apart from Arjuna, who else is such a hero that he could, by sheer force, break into the city of the Yadus—guarded in person by Lord Vishnu himself, a city compared to Amaravati, the divine capital protected by Indra—and carry off Subhadra, the younger sister of the Supreme Lord Krishna? And besides Arjuna—whose strength and splendor match the Lord of the gods—what man in this world could, in the quarrel that arose over the killing of a wild animal, even challenge in battle Bhava (Shiva), the sovereign Lord of the three worlds?”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores Arjuna’s exceptional kṣatriya prowess by measuring him against divine standards: he can penetrate even a divinely protected city and can confront even Shiva in a contest. Ethically, it highlights how reputation in epic literature is built through extraordinary trials that test courage, resolve, and the limits of human agency under divine oversight.
In the Karna Parva context, Shalya speaks to emphasize Arjuna’s unmatched strength and fame. He recalls two celebrated exploits: Arjuna’s carrying off Subhadra from the Yadava capital (Dvaraka implied), and his earlier confrontation with Shiva during the dispute over a slain wild animal (the Kirata episode). These examples function as rhetorical proof that no warrior equals Arjuna.