Shloka 14
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 64: Arjuna’s Instruction to Sanjaya
Message to the Kuru Assembly
यत् तद् विराटनगरे सह भ्रातृभिरग्रतः । उत्सृज्य गा: सुसंत्रस्तं बल॑ ते समशीर्यत,विराटनगरमें तुम्हारे भाइयोंसहित जो सारी सेना युद्धके लिये गयी थी, वह वहाँकी समस्त गौओंको छोड़कर अत्यन्त भयभीत हो तुम्हारे सामने ही भाग खड़ी हुई थी। उस नगरमें जो एक (अर्जुन)-का बहुतोंके साथ अत्यन्त अद्भुत युद्ध हुआ सुना जाता है; वह एक ही दृष्टान्त (उसकी प्रबलता और अजेयताके लिये) पर्याप्त है
yat tad virāṭa-nagare saha bhrātṛbhir agrataḥ | utsṛjya gāḥ su-saṁtrastaṁ balaṁ te samaśīryata ||
Vidura said: That very incident in the city of Virāṭa is well known—when your army, which had marched out to fight in front of you along with your brothers, abandoned the cattle and, seized by extreme fear, broke ranks and fled. And the extraordinary battle heard of there—one warrior (Arjuna) against many—stands by itself as a sufficient example of his overwhelming strength and near-invincibility.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura urges sober realism and ethical restraint: arrogance should be checked by remembering concrete evidence of the Pāṇḍavas’ strength. Ignoring such proof and pursuing an unjust war leads to ruin; wise policy aligns with dharma and with accurate assessment of power.
Vidura recalls the Virāṭa episode (the cattle raid): the Kaurava force, led in the presence of the Kuru princes, panicked and fled after abandoning the seized cattle. He points to the famed spectacle of one warrior—Arjuna—fighting many as decisive proof of Arjuna’s might.