Shloka 20
Kubera-prasāda-vihāra and Counsel on Ajñātavāsa (कुबेरप्रसादविहारः तथा अज्ञातवासोपदेशः)
ततो मां प्रहसन् राजन् मातलि: प्रत्यभाषत । नैतदर्जुन देवेषु त्वयि वीर्य यदीक्ष्यते,तब मातलिने हँसते हुए मुझसे कहा--“अर्जुन! तुममें जो पराक्रम दिखायी देता है, वह देवताओं में भी नहीं है”
tato māṃ prahasan rājan mātaliḥ pratyabhāṣata | naitad arjuna deveṣu tvayi vīryaṃ yad īkṣyate ||
Then, O King, Mātali—smiling—addressed me: “Arjuna, the valor that is seen in you is not found even among the gods.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an epic ideal of vīrya (heroic excellence): when courage and capability are aligned with dharma, they become exemplary—so much so that even divine beings are used as a benchmark for comparison.
Mātali, Indra’s charioteer, smiles and speaks to Arjuna, praising him by saying that the valor evident in Arjuna is not seen even among the gods, thereby affirming Arjuna’s extraordinary prowess in the ongoing episode.