Shloka 36
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
वैवस्वताद् दण्डहस्ताद्वरुणाद् वापि पाशिन: । सगदाद् वा धनपते: सवज़ाद् वापि वासवात्,सह युद्ध हि मे ताभ्यां साम्पराये भविष्यति । “शल्य! मैं दण्डधारी सूर्यपुत्र यमराजसे, पाशधारी वरुणसे, गदा हाथमें लिये हुए कुबेरसे, वज्रधारी इन्द्रसे अथवा दूसरे किसी आततायी शत्रुसे भी कभी नहीं डरता। इस बातको तुम अच्छी तरह समझ लो। इसीलिये मुझे अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णसे भी कोई भय नहीं है। उन दोनोंके साथ रणक्षेत्रमें मेरा युद्ध अवश्य होगा
vaivasvatād daṇḍahastād varuṇād vāpi pāśinaḥ | sagadād vā dhanapateḥ savajrād vāpi vāsavāt, saha yuddha hi me tābhyāṃ sāmparāye bhaviṣyati |
Sañjaya said: "I do not fear Yama, the son of Vivasvat, bearing his staff; nor Varuṇa with his noose; nor Kubera, lord of wealth, wielding a mace; nor Vāsava (Indra) with his thunderbolt—nor any other violent foe. Know this well: therefore I have no fear even of Arjuna and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the final encounter, my battle with those two will surely take place."
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the kṣatriya ideal of steadfast courage: a warrior should not be shaken even by the might of cosmic powers. Ethically, it frames resolve and acceptance of a decisive, fate-laden confrontation (sāmparāya) as integral to one’s chosen duty in war.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s declaration of fearlessness, listing formidable deities and their weapons to emphasize confidence. On that basis, he asserts he will not fear even Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa and that a decisive battle with them is inevitable.