Shloka 8
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 130: Kuntī’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Daṇḍanīti
प्रादुरास्तां तथा दोर्भ्या संकर्षणधनंजयौ । दक्षिणे5थार्जुनो धन्वी हली रामश्न॒ सव्यत:
prādurāstāṃ tathā dorbhyāṃ saṅkarṣaṇadhanañjayau | dakṣiṇe 'thārjuno dhanvī halī rāmaś ca savyataḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: From his two arms there manifested Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma) and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna). On the right stood Arjuna, the bow-bearing warrior; on the left stood Rāma (Balarāma), the wielder of the plough. The scene underscores the ideal of righteous strength: power is shown as disciplined and ordered, with the foremost protectors appearing as embodied supports of dharma in a moment of political and moral crisis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents righteous power as structured and purposeful: the foremost defenders of dharma appear in an ordered way (right/left), suggesting that strength should serve moral order and protection rather than mere domination.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates a wondrous manifestation in which Balarāma (Saṅkarṣaṇa), the plough-bearer, and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), the bowman, appear from the two arms—Arjuna on the right and Balarāma on the left—highlighting their roles as principal supports in the unfolding conflict.