Shloka 15
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
यो नामन्यत वै नित्यमच्युतं च धनंजयम् । न वृष्णीन् सहितानन्यान् स्वबाहुबलदर्पितः,जो अपने बाहुबलके घमंडमें भरकर श्रीकृष्णको, अर्जुनको तथा एक साथ आये हुए अन्यान्य वृष्णिवंशियोंको भी कभी कुछ नहीं समझता था
yo nāmanyata vai nityam acyutaṃ ca dhanaṃjayam | na vṛṣṇīn sahitān anyān svabāhubaladarpitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Swollen with pride in his own bodily might, he never held Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) and Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna) in due regard, nor even the other Vṛṣṇis who had come together with them.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride in one’s own power (svabāhubaladarpitaḥ) leads to moral and strategic blindness: it makes a person dismiss those who embody steadiness (Acyuta/Kṛṣṇa), righteous prowess (Dhanaṃjaya/Arjuna), and the strength of a united community (the Vṛṣṇis).
Vaiśampāyana describes a warrior whose arrogance causes him to disregard Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and the assembled Vṛṣṇis—setting the tone for the consequences that follow when one underestimates formidable, dharmically aligned opponents.