Shloka 3
Bhīmasena’s Himalayan Hunt and Seizure by the Ajagara (भीमसेनस्य अजगरग्रहणम्)
भीष्मो द्रोण: कृप: कर्ण: शकुनि: सह राजभि: संग्रामस्थस्य ते पुत्र कलां नाहन्ति षघोडशीम्,“बेटा! भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, कर्ण तथा राजाओंसहित शकुनि--ये सब-के-सब संग्राममें खड़े होनेपर तुम्हारी सोलहवीं कलाके बराबर भी नहीं हो सकते'
arjuna uvāca | bhīṣmo droṇaḥ kṛpaḥ karṇaḥ śakuniḥ saha rājabhiḥ | saṅgrāmasthasya te putra kalāṃ nāhanti ṣoḍaśīm ||
Arjuna said: “O son, even Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Karṇa, and Śakuni together with the kings—though standing ready in battle—do not equal even a sixteenth part of your power.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary capability magnifies ethical responsibility: in war, celebrated heroes may be formidable, yet the truly powerful must wield strength with discernment, mindful of dharma and the consequences of violence.
Arjuna addresses a ‘son’ (putra) and praises him by asserting that even the most famous Kuru-era warriors—Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna, and Shakuni with allied kings—cannot match even a fraction (one-sixteenth) of his prowess while standing in battle formation.