Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 3
Vṛtra’s Cosmic Threat, Viṣṇu’s Upāya, and the Conditional Vulnerability
Udyoga-parva 10
तेजस्वी च महात्मा च युद्धे चामितविक्रम: । ग्रसेत् त्रिभुवनं सर्व सदेवासुरमानुषम्
tejasvī ca mahātmā ca yuddhe cāmitavikramaḥ | graset tribhuvanaṁ sarvaṁ sadevāsuramānuṣam ||
He is radiant and great-souled, and in battle his prowess is beyond measure. If he so wished, he could swallow up the entire threefold world—together with gods, asuras, and human beings.
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how overwhelming power can be—so vast that it could threaten the entire cosmic order. Ethically, it implies that such strength must be restrained and guided by dharma; mere capability does not justify destructive action.
Indra is describing a formidable figure’s qualities—radiance, greatness of spirit, and limitless battlefield prowess—using cosmic hyperbole (“swallowing the three worlds”) to convey the scale of that person’s potential impact.