Shloka 33
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
उत्तर उवाच एकस्त्वं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ बहूनेतान् महारथान् । कथं जेष्यसि संग्रामे सर्वशस्त्रास्त्रपारगान्,उस समय उत्तर बोला--पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ] आप तो अकेले हैं, इन सम्पूर्ण अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके पारगामी बहुसंख्यक महारथियोंको युद्धमें कैसे जीत सकेंगे?
Uttara uvāca: ekas tvaṃ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha bahūn etān mahārathān | kathaṃ jeṣyasi saṅgrāme sarvaśastrāstrapāragān ||
Uttara said: “O best of the Pāṇḍavas, you are but one, while these are many great chariot-warriors, all fully accomplished in weapons and missiles. How will you defeat them in battle?”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common ethical and psychological tension in dharma-yuddha: fear arises when one measures duty only by visible odds. It sets up the contrast between apparent numerical strength and true capability grounded in skill, resolve, and righteous purpose.
Uttara, facing the prospect of battle, expresses doubt and anxiety. Seeing many expert warriors on the opposing side, he questions how the lone Pāṇḍava hero (Arjuna, in disguise in the Virāṭa episode) could possibly defeat them.