Shloka 16
यदि हि स्याद् गदापाणिर्जरासंध: प्रतापवान् । सेन्द्रा देवा न तं हन्तुं रणे शक्ता नरोत्तम,नरश्रेष्ठस यदि प्रतापी जरासंधके हाथमें वह गदा होती तो इन्द्रसहित सम्पूर्ण देवता भी उसे युद्धमें मार नहीं सकते थे
yadi hi syād gadāpāṇir jarāsandhaḥ pratāpavān | sendrā devā na taṁ hantuṁ raṇe śaktā narottama ||
Vāyu berkata: “Seandainya Jarāsandha yang perkasa itu benar-benar bersenjata gada, maka bahkan para dewa yang dipimpin Indra pun takkan sanggup membunuhnya di medan perang, wahai yang terbaik di antara manusia.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how decisive circumstances and equipment can be in warfare: a warrior’s innate prowess, when joined with the right weapon, can make him nearly invincible—even against superior numbers or divine forces. It also cautions against underestimating an opponent based on partial conditions.
Vāyu is praising (or emphasizing) Jarāsandha’s extraordinary martial power by stating a counterfactual: had Jarāsandha been holding his mace, even Indra and the assembled gods would not have been able to kill him in battle. The statement heightens the sense of Jarāsandha’s formidable reputation.