Shloka 6

युधिष्ठिरकृष्णसंवादः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Appeal and Kṛṣṇa’s Assurance

Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 59

Devanagari script

सुरासुरैरवध्यं तं देवब्राह्मणकण्टकम्‌

Transliteration

surāsurair avadhyaṃ taṃ devabrāhmaṇakaṇṭakam

Translation

Ia tak dapat dibunuh bahkan oleh para dewa maupun asura, namun telah menjadi duri bagi para dewa dan brāhmaṇa.

Word by Word

• सुरासुरैः: by the gods and the demons
• सुरासुरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + असुर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अवध्यं: invincible; not to be slain
• अवध्यं: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवध्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तम्: him; that one
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• देवब्राह्मणकण्टकम्: a thorn (bane) to gods and brahmins
• देवब्राह्मणकण्टकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ब्राह्मण + कण्टक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Suras (Devas)
• Asuras
• Brāhmaṇas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Extraordinary strength or invulnerability is not itself a virtue; when it turns against the devas and brāhmaṇas—symbols of cosmic order and sacred learning—it becomes a moral threat. The verse frames power as accountable to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada characterizes a formidable figure as ‘unslayable’ even by gods and demons, yet harmful to the divine and priestly order, setting up the need for a dharmic response to a seemingly unstoppable menace.