Shloka 8
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १२५: दुर्योधनस्य प्रत्युत्तरम्
Duryodhana’s Reply in the Kuru Assembly
विराटश्न शिखण्डी च शैशुपालिश्न दंशिता: । यावन्न प्रविशन्त्येते नक्रा इव महार्णवम्
virāṭaś ca śikhaṇḍī ca śaiśupāliś ca daṃśitāḥ | yāvan na praviśanty ete nakrā iva mahārṇavam ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Virāṭa y Śikhaṇḍī, y también el descendiente de Śaiśupāla—armados y dispuestos—no entrarán en la lid hasta que llegue el momento, como los cocodrilos que no se zambullen en el vasto océano antes de su hora».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and readiness should be governed by restraint and right timing; even in war, disciplined waiting and strategic entry are portrayed as virtues rather than impulsive aggression.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes certain warriors—Virāṭa, Śikhaṇḍī, and Śaiśupāli—as fully armed yet holding back, compared to crocodiles that enter the vast ocean only when appropriate, suggesting poised readiness before engagement.