Shloka 16
Tilottamā, Sunda–Upasunda, and the Pāṇḍava Samaya (Ādi Parva 204)
कथं हि पाण्डव: श्रीमान् सव्यसाची धनंजय: । शक्यो विजेतुं संग्रामे राजन् मघवतापि हि,राजन! दायें-बायें दोनों हाथोंसे बाण चलानेवाले श्रीमान् पाण्डुकुमार धनंजयको साक्षात् इन्द्र भी युद्धमें कैसे जीत सकते हैं?
kathaṃ hi pāṇḍavaḥ śrīmān savyasācī dhanañjayaḥ | śakyo vijetuṃ saṅgrāme rājan maghavatāpi hi ||
Vidura asks, in a pointed moral warning to the king: “How could the illustrious Pāṇḍava, Dhanañjaya—Arjuna, famed as Savyasācī for his ambidextrous mastery—ever be conquered in battle? O King, even Maghavat (Indra) himself could scarcely defeat him in war.” The statement underscores Vidura’s ethical counsel: reckless hostility toward the righteous and capable invites ruin, and wise rule requires restraint and discernment rather than prideful aggression.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura emphasizes prudent, dharmic statecraft: do not provoke a just and extraordinarily capable opponent out of pride. Ethical governance requires realistic assessment, restraint, and avoidance of unjust conflict that leads to self-destruction.
Vidura addresses the king (in context, the Kuru ruler) and highlights Arjuna’s unmatched martial skill—so great that even Indra is invoked as an insufficient conqueror—thereby warning against pursuing war or hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas.