Shloka 11
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 42 — Duryodhana’s counsel to Bhīṣma on ajñātavāsa risk and raid strategy
गुरुभारसहो दिव्य: शात्रवाणां भयंकर: । कस्यायं सायको दीर्घ: शिलीपृष्ठ: शिलीमुख:
gurubhārasaho divyaḥ śātravāṇāṃ bhayaṅkaraḥ | kasyāyaṃ sāyako dīrghaḥ śilīpṛṣṭhaḥ śilīmukhaḥ ||
Uttara dit : «Qui possède cette longue arme de jet—divine, capable de supporter une forte contrainte et terrifiante pour l’armée ennemie—dont le dos porte la marque d’une grenouille et dont la pointe est façonnée comme une bouche de grenouille ?»
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and respect for martial responsibility: a weapon’s distinctive marks and feared reputation point to its rightful owner and the ethical weight carried by those who wield divine arms.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara is examining stored weapons and, noticing a long, formidable, divinely described projectile with a frog emblem, asks whose weapon it is—an inquiry that foreshadows the revelation of the true warrior behind the arms.