Shloka 21
भीमस्य बल्लव-प्रतिज्ञा तथा अर्जुनस्य बृहन्नडा-रूप-निर्णयः
Bhīma’s Ballava Vow and Arjuna’s Decision to Become Bṛhannadā
य॑ मन्ये द्वादशं रुद्रमादित्यानां त्रयोदशम् । वसूनां नवमं मन्ये ग्रहाणां दशमं तथा,जिस अर्जुनको मैं बारहवाँ रुद्र और तेरहवाँ आदित्य मानता हूँ, नवम वसु तथा दसवाँ ग्रह स्वीकार करता हूँ
yaṁ manye dvādaśaṁ rudram ādityānāṁ trayodaśam | vasūnāṁ navamaṁ manye grahāṇāṁ daśamaṁ tathā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I regard him as the twelfth among the Rudras and the thirteenth among the Ādityas; I also deem him the ninth among the Vasus and likewise the tenth among the Grahas.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverent recognition of exceptional virtue and power: Yudhiṣṭhira frames Arjuna’s prowess as comparable to cosmic divine orders, reinforcing confidence, loyalty, and moral support during a time of danger.
In the early Virāṭa Parva setting, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about Arjuna’s greatness, using traditional lists of deities (Rudras, Ādityas, Vasus, Grahas) to express that Arjuna’s presence is as formidable and protective as major celestial powers.