Shloka 33
मतो हि मे शक्रसमो धनंजय: सनातनो वृष्णिवीरश्व विष्णु: । धर्मारामो ह्लीनिषेवस्तरस्वी कुन्तीपुत्र: पाण्डवोडजातशत्रु:
mato hi me śakrasamo dhanañjayaḥ sanātano vṛṣṇivīraś ca viṣṇuḥ | dharmārāmo hrīniṣevas tarasvī kuntīputraḥ pāṇḍavo ’jātaśatruḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Para mí, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) parece igual a Śakra (Indra), y Kṛṣṇa, el héroe de los Vṛṣṇis, se me antoja el Viṣṇu eterno en persona. El Pāṇḍava, hijo de Kuntī—Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira)—halla su gozo en el dharma; es recatado en su conducta y fuerte de ánimo. En él no nace enemistad contra nadie.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ethical ideal of kingship: Yudhishthira is portrayed as one who delights in dharma, practices modest restraint, and is naturally free from enmity (ajātaśatru). Alongside this moral portrait, Arjuna is elevated as Indra-like, and Krishna is identified with the eternal Vishnu—linking righteous conduct and divine support as the foundations of legitimate power.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war context, Vaiśampāyana reports a characterization of the Pandavas: Arjuna’s prowess is likened to Indra’s, Krishna is treated as a divine presence (Vishnu), and Yudhishthira is described as dharma-centered, modest, and incapable of harboring hatred—setting the moral and theological frame for the impending conflict.