Shloka 18
अश्विनावथ वाय्वग्नी मरुद्धि: सह वृत्रहा । धर्मश्नैव मया द्विष्टान् नोत्सहन्तेडभिरक्षितुम्,“जिनसे मैं द्वेष रखता हूँ, उनकी रक्षाका साहस अश्विनीकुमार, वायु, अग्नि, मरुदगणोंसहित इन्द्र तथा धर्ममें भी नहीं है
aśvināv atha vāyvagnī marudbhiḥ saha vṛtrahā | dharmeṇaiva mayā dviṣṭān notsahante ’bhirakṣitum ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Even Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra—together with the Aśvin twins, Vāyu, Agni, and the Marut hosts—indeed even with Dharma itself, lacks the power to protect those whom I have come to hate.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological force of entrenched hatred: when hostility becomes decisive, the speaker portrays even the greatest divine protectors—Indra with his allies, and even Dharma—as unable to secure the safety of those targeted. It warns how enmity can override ordinary expectations of protection and order.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war context, a strong declaration is made (reported by Vaiśampāyana) emphasizing that the speaker’s opposition is so firm that even the combined support of major deities is imagined as insufficient to protect the hated side. It intensifies the sense of inevitability and escalation toward conflict.