Shloka 36
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
अनारभन्तो निष्नन्तो महास्त्रै: शत्रुधातिभि: । न हन्यामो वयं तस्य त्रिभिरवर्षशतैर्बलम्,“यदि हमलोग शत्रुओंका अन्त करनेवाले बड़े-बड़े अस्त्रोंद्वारा निरन्तर आघात करते रहें, तो भी तीन सौ वर्षोमें भी उसकी सेनाका नाश नहीं कर सकते
anārabhanto niṣṇanto mahāstraiḥ śatrudhātibhiḥ | na hanyāmo vayaṃ tasya tribhir avarṣaśatair balam ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa bersabda: “Sekalipun kita terus-menerus menghantam tanpa jeda dengan mahāstra—senjata agung pemusnah musuh—kita tetap tidak akan sanggup memusnahkan bala tentaranya, bahkan dalam tiga ratus tahun. Demikian besarnya kekuatan itu.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa emphasizes strategic realism: sheer violence and even the most powerful weapons may be insufficient against overwhelming strength; wise action requires assessing capacity, time, and consequences rather than relying on brute force.
Kṛṣṇa is advising about the immense scale of an opposing force, stating that even continuous assault with great, enemy-destroying weapons would not finish that army within three hundred years—highlighting the need for a different approach than direct attrition.