Shloka 19
Adhyāya 20 — Rājadharma Argument for Paternal Inheritance and Timely Conciliation
यथा किरीटी सर्वभ्य: सेनाभ्यो व्यतिरिच्यते । एवमेव महाबाहुर्वासुदेवो महाद्युति:,'जैसे किरीटथारी अर्जुन अकेले ही इन सब सेनाओंसे बढ़कर हैं, उसी प्रकार महातेजस्वी महाबाहु श्रीकृष्ण भी हैं
yathā kirīṭī sarvabhyaḥ senābhyo vyatiricyate | evam eva mahābāhur vāsudevo mahādyutiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «De même que Kirīṭī (Arjuna, le porteur du diadème) surpasse toutes ces armées, de même Vāsudeva—aux bras puissants, rayonnant d’un grand éclat—les surpasse aussi.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that qualitative excellence—heroic virtue in Arjuna and divine, dharma-aligned brilliance in Kṛṣṇa—outweighs mere numerical strength. It frames true power as rooted in righteousness, insight, and the presence of higher guidance.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war setting, Vaiśampāyana highlights the extraordinary stature of Arjuna among warriors and then intensifies the point by asserting that Kṛṣṇa’s greatness surpasses even that—preparing the listener to see the coming conflict as shaped not only by armies but by exceptional persons and dharmic destiny.