Shloka 266
मुक्तो वीरक्षयादस्मात् संग्रामाललोमहर्षणात् । “आपने जब ऐसा कहा, तब मैंने “तथास्तु/ कहकर वह आज्ञा स्वीकार कर ली थी। जनेश्वर! राजेन्द्र! आपका वह शूरवीर, सत्यपराक्रमी भाई सव्यसाची अर्जुन मेरे द्वारा सुरक्षित रहकर विजयी हुआ है तथा वीरोंका विनाश करनेवाले इस रोमांचकारी संग्रामसे भाइयोंसहित जीवित बच गया है”
mukto vīrakṣayād asmāt saṅgrāmāl lomaharṣaṇāt | “āpne jab aisā kahā, tab maiṃne ‘tathāstu’ kahkar vah ājñā svīkār kar lī thī | janeśvara! rājendra! āp kā vah śūravīra, satyaparākrama bhāī savyasācī arjuna mere dvārā surakṣita rahkar vijayī huā hai tathā vīroṃ kā vināś karne vāle is romāñcakārī saṅgrām se bhāiyoṃ sahit jīvit bac gayā hai”
Released from this battle that makes the hair stand on end and brings about the destruction of heroes, I had earlier accepted your command, saying, “So be it (tathāstu).” O lord of men, O best of kings: that heroic brother of yours—Savyasācī Arjuna, whose valor is true—protected by me, has emerged victorious and has survived this thrilling, hero-slaying war together with his brothers.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical idea that rightful authority and divine guardianship can operate together: a command is accepted with disciplined assent (“tathāstu”), and protection is framed not as personal boast but as service to a larger order in which the worthy hero survives a destructive war.
Vāyudeva reports that he had earlier agreed to the king’s instruction and now declares the outcome: Arjuna, called Savyasācī, was kept safe by Vāyu, became victorious, and survived the terrifying, hero-destroying battle along with his brothers.