Shloka 16
Adhyāya 48 — Duryodhana’s Account of Tribute and the Provisioned Court (सभा पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
नैते युधि पराजेतुं शक््या देवगणैरपि । महारथा महेष्वासा: कृतास्त्रा युद्धदुर्मदा:,शकुनि बोला--राजन्! अर्जुन, श्रीकृष्ण, भीमसेन, युधिष्ठिर नकुल, सहदेव तथा पुत्रोंसहित ट्रपद--इन्हें देवता भी युद्धमें परास्त नहीं कर सकते। ये सब-के-सब महारथी, महान् धनुर्धर, अस्त्रविद्यामें निपुण तथा युद्धमें उन््मत्त होकर लड़नेवाले हैं
naite yudhi parājētuṁ śakyā devagaṇair api | mahārathā maheṣvāsāḥ kṛtāstrā yuddha-durmadāḥ ||
«A estos no se les puede vencer en la guerra, ni siquiera por huestes de dioses. Son maharathas, arqueros formidables, plenamente adiestrados en las armas, e intoxicados por la furia del combate.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fixation on power and rivalry breeds fear and overestimation of threat, pushing a leader toward aggressive choices instead of prudent restraint; it implicitly warns that pride and anxiety can cloud ethical judgment in political conflict.
Duryodhana is assessing the opposing warriors’ battle-capacity, declaring them virtually unconquerable—even by divine hosts—thereby expressing apprehension and setting the tone for heightened tension and strategic maneuvering.