Shloka 18
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 42 — Duryodhana’s counsel to Bhīṣma on ajñātavāsa risk and raid strategy
* जो अग्निके समान प्रकाशमान एवं आगमें तपाये शुद्ध सुवर्णकी बनी हुई म्यानमें सुरक्षित
yo agnike samāna-prakāśamāna evaṁ agnau tapāye śuddha-suvarṇasya banī-huī myāne surakṣitaḥ, bhārī, pānīdāraś ca triṁśad-aṅgulāt bṛhān; yaḥ suvarṇa-bindu-bhir vibhūṣitaḥ kāla-varṇaś ca; yaṁ śatravo na chindanti; yasya sparśaḥ sarpa-sadṛśaḥ; yaḥ śatru-śarīraṁ cīrayitvā dālayati; yaḥ bhāra-sahana-samarthaḥ; divyaḥ śatrūṇāṁ ca bhayaṅkaraḥ—sa khaḍgaḥ kasya? nirdiśasva yathātattvaṁ mayā pṛṣṭā bṛhannale. vismayo me paro jāto dṛṣṭvā sarvam idaṁ mahat.
Uttara said: “Which man owns that sword—shining like fire, kept safe in a scabbard of purified gold, heavy and full-bodied, more than thirty finger-breadths in length; adorned with golden dots and dark in hue; a blade that enemies cannot cut, whose touch is like a serpent’s, that cleaves an enemy’s body, able to bear great strain, divine and terrifying to foes? O Bṛhannalā, tell me exactly what I have asked. Seeing all these mighty weapons, my wonder has grown exceedingly.”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined inquiry and truthful disclosure: Uttara, overwhelmed by the sight of extraordinary weapons, asks Bṛhannalā to identify the sword “as it truly is” (yathātattvam), emphasizing accuracy and integrity in speech amid martial matters.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara encounters a cache of formidable weapons and, astonished, questions Bṛhannalā (Arjuna in disguise) about a particular divine, fearsome sword—its appearance, tempering, ornamentation, and invincibility—seeking to know whose weapon it is.