Shloka 55
अहं धनुष्मान् ससुरासुरांश्न सर्वाणि भूतानि च सड़तानि । स्वबाहुवीर्याद् गमये पराभवं मत्पौरुषं विद्धि परं परेभ्य:,“मैं धनुष लेकर अपने बाहुबलसे एक साथ आये हुए देवताओं, असुरों तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंको परास्त कर सकता हूँ। मेरे पुरुषार्थको उत्कृष्टसे भी उत्कृष्ट समझो
ahaṃ dhanuṣmān sasurāsurāṃś ca sarvāṇi bhūtāni ca saṅgatāni | svabāhuvīryād gamaye parābhavaṃ matpauruṣaṃ viddhi paraṃ parebhyaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Armed with my bow, by the strength of my own arms I can drive even the gods and the asuras—indeed all beings gathered together—into defeat. Know my personal valor to be supreme, surpassing even the best.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intoxicating force of martial pride: a warrior’s confidence in personal strength can swell into overreach, raising an ethical tension between rightful courage and ego-driven boasting—an attitude that, in the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, often precedes downfall.
In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, a speaker proclaims extraordinary prowess—claiming the ability to defeat even devas and asuras assembled together—thereby intensifying the atmosphere of rivalry and impending catastrophe on the battlefield.