Shloka 25
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
बाहुभ्यामुद्धहेद् भूमिं दहेत् क्रुद्ध इमा: प्रजा: । पातयेत् त्रिदिवाद देवान् योडर्जुनं समरे जयेत्
bāhubhyām uddhahed bhūmiṁ dahet kruddha imāḥ prajāḥ | pātayet tridivād devān yo 'rjunaṁ samare jayet ||
Dijo Vāyu-deva: «Quien pueda derrotar a Arjuna en batalla sería capaz de alzar la tierra con sus dos brazos; en su ira podría reducir a cenizas a todas estas criaturas; y hasta podría arrojar a los dioses desde el cielo.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses deliberate hyperbole to underscore Arjuna’s extraordinary martial stature: defeating him would imply near-cosmic power. Implicitly, it warns against reckless confidence and highlights that true strength must be matched by discernment and restraint within dharma.
Vāyu-deva speaks in praise of Arjuna, asserting that anyone capable of overcoming Arjuna in battle would possess world-shaking might—able to lift the earth, burn all beings in anger, and even hurl the gods down from heaven—thereby emphasizing Arjuna’s formidable position in the coming conflict.