Shloka 146

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness

Devanagari script

वेगं समर्था: संसोढुं वज़स्येव महीधरा: । जैसे बड़े-बड़े पर्वत भी वज्गजका वेग सहन करनेमें समर्थ नहीं हैं, उसी प्रकार युद्धकी इच्छा रखनेवाले और क्रोधमें भरे हुए मुझ सात्यकिके प्रहार-वेगको सहन करनेकी सामर्थ्य उनमेंसे किसीमें भी नहीं है

Transliteration

vegaṃ samarthāḥ saṃsoḍhuṃ vajrasyeva mahīdharāḥ |

Translation

वैशम्पायन बोले— जैसे बड़े-बड़े पर्वत भी वज्र के वेग को सह नहीं पाते, वैसे ही युद्ध की इच्छा रखने वाले और क्रोध से भरे हुए उन सब में से कोई भी मेरे—सात्यकि के—प्रहारों के वेग को सहने में समर्थ नहीं है।

Word by Word

वेगम्speed, impetus

समर्थाःcapable

संसोढुम्to endure, to bear

वज्रस्यof the thunderbolt

इवlike, as

महीधराःmountains (earth-bearers)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

vajra (Indra’s thunderbolt)

mahīdharāḥ (mountains)

Sātyaki (implied by the accompanying sense)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a thunderbolt–mountain simile to stress that uncontrolled wrath and the thirst for battle do not automatically confer true strength; real power is measured by the capacity to endure and prevail, not merely by aggressive intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war atmosphere, the narration highlights martial confidence through a vivid comparison: just as mountains cannot bear a thunderbolt’s impact, the opponents are portrayed as unable to withstand the speaker’s (Sātyaki’s) attack-force.