Shloka 9
सहदेव-दक्षिण-दिग्विजयः — Sahadeva’s Southern Conquest and the Māhiṣmatī–Agni Encounter
पार्थ नेदं त्वया शक््यं पुरं जेतुं कथंचन । उपावर्तस्व कल्याण पर्याप्तमिदमच्युत
pārtha nedaṁ tvayā śakyaṁ puraṁ jetuṁ kathaṁcana | upāvartasva kalyāṇa paryāptam idam acyuta ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: “Oh Pārtha, no puedes conquistar esta ciudad de ningún modo. Regresa, oh bienaventurado. Oh Acyuta, basta con que hayas llegado hasta aquí.” Es una advertencia grave: entrar en esa ciudad se considera mortal; por ello, la prudencia y la preservación de la vida se anteponen al heroísmo temerario, y alcanzar el umbral mismo se reconoce como un logro notable.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes discernment in action: valor is not mere recklessness. When a task is declared impossible or fatally destructive, dharma may lie in restraint and withdrawal, and in recognizing that reaching a perilous boundary can itself be a meaningful accomplishment.
The narrator reports a warning addressed to Arjuna (Pārtha), also invoking Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa): the city cannot be conquered, so Arjuna is urged to turn back. The broader passage frames entry as leading to certain death and praises Arjuna for having come so far.