Shloka 183
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
उपासितं यथास्माभिरबलं गाण्डीवधन्चन: । “धृतराष्ट्रके पुत्रोंने सदा उन्हींके बाहुबलका भरोसा कर रखा था, जैसे कि हमलोगोंने गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनके बलका आश्रय लिया था
upāsitaṃ yathāsmābhir abalaṃ gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ |
વૈશંપાયન બોલ્યા—જેમ અમે ગાંડિવધારી અર્જુનના બળનો આશ્રય લીધો હતો, તેમ ધૃતરાષ્ટ્રના પુત્રો સદા પોતાના જ ભુજાબળ પર જ ભરોસો રાખતા।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of grounding one’s decisions in mere physical power. Trust in “arm-strength” without dharmic restraint and sound counsel becomes a cause of arrogance, escalation, and ultimately destruction.
In the Stree Parva’s post-battle setting, Vaiśaṃpāyana comments on the mindset that drove the Kauravas: they repeatedly depended on martial might, just as the Pāṇḍavas depended on Arjuna’s prowess—framing how reliance on power shaped the war’s course and its tragic aftermath.