Shloka 143
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
न तु शेषं शरास्तात कुर्युरस्ता: किरीटिना । तात संजय! अपने तेजसे जलता हुआ वज्र किसीके मस्तकपर पड़कर सम्भव है, उसके जीवनको बचा दे, परंतु किरीटधारी अर्जुनके चलाये हुए बाण जिसे लग जायाँगे, उसे जीवित नहीं छोड़ेंगे
na tu śeṣaṃ śarās tāta kuryur astāḥ kirīṭinā | tāta saṃjaya! apane tejasā jvalitaḥ vajraḥ kasyacid mastake patitvā sambhavaḥ, tasya jīvanaṃ bācayed api; parantu kirīṭadhārī arjunena calitāḥ bāṇāḥ yasya laganti, taṃ jīvitaṃ na muñcanti ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “But, dear one, the arrows released by the diademed warrior will leave no remainder. O Sañjaya, it may be possible that a thunderbolt—blazing with its own power—could strike someone’s head and yet spare his life; but the shafts loosed by Arjuna, the wearer of the diadem, once they find their mark, do not let a man live.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying certainty of consequences once a righteous and supremely skilled warrior acts: power guided by resolve can become inexorable. Ethically, it reflects Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious recognition that choices leading to war unleash forces that cannot be easily contained or reversed.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, speaking to Sañjaya, expresses dread about Arjuna’s martial prowess. He claims that even a thunderbolt might spare a victim, but Arjuna’s arrows, once they strike, do not leave survivors—highlighting the looming devastation if conflict proceeds.