अहं धनुष्मान् ससुरासुरांश्न सर्वाणि भूतानि च सड़तानि । स्वबाहुवीर्याद् गमये पराभवं मत्पौरुषं विद्धि परं परेभ्य:
ahaṃ dhanuṣmān sasurāsurāṃś ca sarvāṇi bhūtāni ca saṅgatāni | svabāhuvīryād gamaye parābhavaṃ matpauruṣaṃ viddhi paraṃ parebhyaḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Con el arco en la mano, por la fuerza de mis propios brazos puedo arrojar a la derrota incluso a los dioses y a los asuras—y, en verdad, a todos los seres reunidos a la vez. Reconoce que mi valor personal es supremo, superior aun a lo más excelso».
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the intoxicating force of martial pride: a warrior’s confidence in personal strength can swell into overreach, raising an ethical tension between rightful courage and ego-driven boasting—an attitude that, in the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, often precedes downfall.
In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, a speaker proclaims extraordinary prowess—claiming the ability to defeat even devas and asuras assembled together—thereby intensifying the atmosphere of rivalry and impending catastrophe on the battlefield.