Shloka 8
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
न चेत् तदभिमन्येत पुरुषो<र्जुनदर्शिवान्
na cet tad abhimanyeta puruṣo 'rjunadarśivān, ṛṣadadhyā guṇaiḥ sudāntān aśvān dhuryavāhān suśikṣitān |
Sañjaya said: “If a man who has seen Arjuna still fails to recognize this, then I would even give him a hundred elephants, a hundred villages, a hundred chariots made of solid gold, and ten thousand fine horses—well-fed and strong, endowed with good qualities, disciplined, well-trained, and capable of bearing the yoke and the burden of the chariot.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the ethical force of credible witness and clear discernment: Arjuna’s capability is presented as so evident that refusing to acknowledge it is portrayed as a lapse in judgment, and the lavish offer serves as a rhetorical device to reinforce truthfulness and accountability in speech during wartime.
Sañjaya reports a statement that challenges anyone who, despite having seen Arjuna, still does not accept the evident reality of his prowess; the speaker heightens the point by offering extravagant rewards—elephants, villages, golden chariots, and many well-trained horses—thereby dramatizing how undeniable Arjuna’s strength is considered in the Karṇa Parva war setting.