Shloka 25
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
बाहुभ्यामुद्धहेद् भूमिं दहेत् क्रुद्ध इमा: प्रजा: । पातयेत् त्रिदिवाद देवान् योडर्जुनं समरे जयेत्
bāhubhyām uddhahed bhūmiṁ dahet kruddha imāḥ prajāḥ | pātayet tridivād devān yo 'rjunaṁ samare jayet ||
वायु-देव ने कहा— जो अर्जुन को युद्ध में जीत ले, वह अपनी दोनों भुजाओं पर पृथ्वी को उठा सकता है; क्रोध में इन समस्त प्रजाओं को भस्म कर सकता है; और स्वर्ग से देवताओं को भी नीचे गिरा सकता है।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses deliberate hyperbole to underscore Arjuna’s extraordinary martial stature: defeating him would imply near-cosmic power. Implicitly, it warns against reckless confidence and highlights that true strength must be matched by discernment and restraint within dharma.
Vāyu-deva speaks in praise of Arjuna, asserting that anyone capable of overcoming Arjuna in battle would possess world-shaking might—able to lift the earth, burn all beings in anger, and even hurl the gods down from heaven—thereby emphasizing Arjuna’s formidable position in the coming conflict.