Shloka 24
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
त्वामेवायं रथो वोदढुं संग्रामे<हति धन्विनम् । त्वं चेमं रथमास्थाय योद्धुमहों मतो मम,यह रथ आप-जैसे धनुर्धर वीरको ही वहन करने योग्य है और मेरी रायमें आप इसी रथपर बैठकर युद्ध करने योग्य हैं
tvām evāyaṁ ratho voḍhuṁ saṅgrāme ’hati dhanvinam | tvaṁ cemam ratham āsthāya yoddhum ahoṁ mato mama ||
Uttara said: “This chariot is fit to bear you alone in battle, O peerless archer. And in my judgment, you are indeed the one who should mount this chariot and fight.”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes fitness and rightful role in action: in a crisis like battle, responsibility should be entrusted to the truly capable. It reflects a dharmic instinct to align duty with competence rather than mere status.
Prince Uttara addresses his companion (the disguised Arjuna as Bṛhannalā), praising him as the only archer worthy of the chariot and urging him to mount it and fight—setting up the reversal where the seemingly unfit companion is revealed as the true warrior.