Shloka 243
अक्षयं क्षपयेत् वक्षित् क्षत्रिय: क्षत्रियर्ष भम् । “नरेश्वर! अपने तेजसे प्रज्वलित होनेवाले क्षत्रिय-शिरोमणि गाण्डीवधारी अविनाशी अर्जुनको कौन क्षत्रिय मार सकता है?
akṣayaṃ kṣapayeta vakṣit kṣatriyaḥ kṣatriyarṣabham | nareśvara! svena tejasā prajvalitaṃ kṣatriya-śiromaṇiṃ gāṇḍīvadhāriṇam avināśinam arjunaṃ kaḥ kṣatriyo hantuṃ śaknoti?
Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, quel guerrier pourrait détruire cet Arjuna impérissable—porteur du Gāṇḍīva, taureau parmi les kṣatriya, joyau au faîte des combattants—lui qui flamboie de sa propre splendeur ?»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ideal of kṣatriya excellence: true martial supremacy is not merely physical strength but a radiance of tejas—disciplined valor, legitimacy, and heroic stature. By calling Arjuna ‘imperishable,’ the text frames him as protected by destiny and merit, warning against reckless overconfidence in war.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praising Arjuna as the blazing, Gāṇḍīva-bearing champion. The statement functions as a rhetorical challenge: among the assembled warriors, who could realistically defeat such a figure, thereby heightening the tension of the Drona Parva battle narrative.