Shloka 28
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
एकेन पाण्डुपुत्रेण विराटनगरे यदा । भग्ना: पलायत दिश: पर्याप्त॑ तन्निदर्शनम्
ekena pāṇḍuputreṇa virāṭanagare yadā | bhagnāḥ palāyata diśaḥ paryāptaṃ tan nidarśanam ||
«Cuando, en la ciudad de Virāṭa, fuisteis desbaratados por un solo hijo de Pāṇḍu y huisteis en distintas direcciones, ese único episodio basta como prueba de la fuerza arrolladora de Arjuna.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A single, well-attested example of conduct and outcome can be decisive evidence: the verse urges sober judgment and humility—recognizing Arjuna’s proven strength and avoiding reckless pride or miscalculation in matters of war and dharma.
Vāyudeva points to a past event at Virāṭa’s city where opponents were defeated by Arjuna alone and scattered in flight; he uses this as a concrete precedent to establish Arjuna’s formidable power in the present deliberations.