Shloka 13
भीष्मव्यूहदर्शनम् / Viewing Bhīṣma’s Battle Array and Arjuna’s Reassurance
गुणभूतो जय: कृष्णे पृष्ठतो5भ्येति माधवम् । तद् यथा विजयश्नचास्य सन्नतिश्चापरो गुण:,“विजय तो श्रीकृष्णका एक गुण है, अतः वह उनके पीछे-पीछे चलता है। जैसे विजय गुण है, उसी प्रकार विनय भी उनका द्वितीय गुण है
guṇabhūto jayaḥ kṛṣṇe pṛṣṭhato ’bhyeti mādhavam | tad yathā vijayaś cāsya sannatiś cāparo guṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «La Victoire, comme si elle était une qualité incarnée, marche derrière Kṛṣṇa—Mādhava. Et de même que la victoire est son attribut, de même l’humilité (la soumission douce) est une autre de ses qualités.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True victory is portrayed as inseparable from Kṛṣṇa’s character, but it is paired with sannati—humility. The verse implies that ethical excellence (modesty, restraint, reverence) is not opposed to success; rather, it is a companion virtue that stabilizes and legitimizes victory.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praises Kṛṣṇa by personifying ‘Victory’ as following behind Him. He then adds that Kṛṣṇa’s greatness is not only in winning outcomes (vijaya) but also in the gentle virtue of humility (sannati), highlighting Kṛṣṇa’s moral stature amid the war setting.