Shloka 35
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
उवाच पार्थो मा भैषी: प्रहस्य स्वनवत् तदा,यह सुनकर अर्जुन खिलखिलाकर हँस पड़े और बोले--“वीर! डरो मत! कौरवोंकी घोषयात्राके समय जब मैंने महाबली गन्धर्वोंके साथ युद्ध किया था, उस समय मेरा सखा या सहायक कौन था? जब देवताओं और दानवोंसे भरे हुए उस अत्यन्त भयंकर खाण्डववनमें मैं युद्ध कर रहा था, उस समय मेरा साथी कौन था?
uttara uvāca — uvāca pārtho mā bhaiṣīḥ prahasya svanavat tadā |
Then Pārtha (Arjuna), laughing aloud, said: “Do not be afraid, hero. When I fought the mighty Gandharvas during the Kauravas’ Ghoṣayātrā (cattle-raid expedition), who was my companion and helper then? And when I battled in the exceedingly dreadful Khāṇḍava forest, filled with gods and Dānavas, who was my ally then?”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna models fearlessness grounded in proven capability and composure: he reassures Uttara by recalling earlier perilous battles, implying that courage and steadiness are part of a warrior’s duty and that panic is unnecessary when one has the means and resolve to act.
Uttara narrates that Arjuna laughs and tells him not to fear. Arjuna cites two famous past episodes—his encounter with the Gandharvas during the Kauravas’ cattle-raid and his fighting in the terrifying Khāṇḍava forest—to emphasize that he has faced formidable dangers before without needing a protector, and thus Uttara should trust him now.