Shloka 13
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
मन्ये त्वां क्लीबवेषेण चरन्तं शूलपाणिनम् । गन्धर्वराजप्रतिमं देवं वापि शतक्रतुम्,मैं तो नपुंसकवेषमें विचरनेवाले आपको शूलपाणि भगवान् शंकरका स्वरूप मानता हूँ अथवा गन्धर्वराजके समान या साक्षात् देवराज इन्द्र समझता हूँ
manye tvāṁ klībaveṣeṇa carantaṁ śūlapāṇinam | gandharvarājapratimaṁ devaṁ vāpi śatakratum ||
Uttara said: “As I see you moving about in the guise of a eunuch, I take you to be Śūlapāṇi (Śiva) himself; or else a god like the king of the Gandharvas, or even Śatakratu—Indra in person.”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True strength joined with restraint can appear ‘divine’ to others: when fear is met by steady courage and protection, it naturally evokes reverence and trust, aligning power with dharma rather than aggression.
Prince Uttara, seeing the extraordinary bearing of the person moving in a eunuch’s disguise (Arjuna as Bṛhannalā in context), becomes overwhelmed and declares that such a figure must be Śiva, the king of Gandharvas, or Indra himself.