Shloka 19
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
न स शक्येत संग्रामे निहन्तुमपि वज्िणा । 'प्रभो! यदि निरन्तर उसे एक-एक वीरके साथ ही युद्ध करना पड़ता तो रणभूमिमें वज्रधारी इन्द्र भी उसे नहीं मार सकते थे (परन्तु वहाँ तो बात ही दूसरी हो गयी) ।।
na sa śakyeta saṅgrāme nihantum api vajriṇā |
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: En batalla, no habría podido ser muerto, ni siquiera por Indra, portador del Vajra. La idea es que, si el combate hubiese permanecido como una sucesión ininterrumpida de duelos singulares, su destreza lo habría vuelto casi inalcanzable; sólo un cambio de circunstancias podía alterar tal desenlace.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how extraordinary martial excellence can make a warrior seem beyond ordinary defeat, yet outcomes in war depend not only on strength but also on conditions, strategy, and shifting circumstances—hinting at the limits of sheer might.
Vaiśaṃpāyana offers a narrator’s evaluation of a warrior’s battlefield prowess, stating that in a straightforward, continuous combat scenario he would be impossible to kill—even for Indra—implying that later events must involve a different, decisive turn of circumstances.