Shloka 11
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
जिगाय च सुरान् सर्वान् नास्य विद्य: पराजयम् । खाण्डवदाहके समय अर्जुनने (मुख्य-मुख्य) तैंतीस- देवताओंको युद्धके लिये ललकारकर अग्नि-देवको तृप्त किया और सभी देवताओंको जीत लिया। उनकी कभी पराजय हुई हो, इसका पता हमें आजतक नहीं लगा || १० है ।। यस्य यन्ता हृषीकेश: शीलवृत्तसमो युधि
jigāya ca surān sarvān nāsya vidyate parājayam | khaṇḍavadāhake samaye arjunena (mukhya-mukhya) trayastriṃśad-devatāḥ yuddhāya lalakāritāḥ agni-devaś ca tṛptaḥ kṛtaḥ, sarvāś ca devatāḥ jitāḥ | tasya kadācit parājayo bhūta iti na vayaṃ adyāpi jānīma || yasya yantā hṛṣīkeśaḥ śīla-vṛtta-samaḥ yudhi ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dijo: «Ha vencido a todos los dioses; no se conoce derrota suya. En el incendio del bosque de Khāṇḍava, Arjuna desafió a combate a los principales entre los Treinta y Tres, sació al dios del Fuego, Agni, y los derrotó a todos. Hasta hoy no hemos sabido de ocasión alguna en que fuera vencido. Y cuando Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) mismo es el auriga de un hombre así —firme en conducta y disciplina en la guerra—, ¿cómo podría tambalear su bando?»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power in war is portrayed as a union of human excellence (Arjuna’s proven valor and discipline) and guiding wisdom (Kṛṣṇa as Hṛṣīkeśa, the charioteer). The verse underscores that ethical steadiness and right counsel amplify strength, while prideful opposition—even by the mighty—can be overcome.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on Arjuna’s past feat during the Khāṇḍava episode, where Arjuna protected Agni’s burning of the forest and repelled the principal gods who tried to stop it. He uses this memory to emphasize Arjuna’s near-unbroken record of victory, especially formidable when Kṛṣṇa serves as his charioteer.