Shloka 44
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
उत्तिष्ठ मा शुच: पुत्र नैव विष्णुस्त्वया जित: । अजेय: पुरुषैरेष तथा देवै: सवासवै:,“बेटा बभ्रुवाहन! उठो, शोक न करो! ये अर्जुन तुम्हारे द्वारा परास्त नहीं हुए हैं। ये तो सभी मनुष्यों और इन्द्रसहित सम्पूर्ण देवताओंके लिये भी अजेय हैं
uttiṣṭha mā śucaḥ putra naiva viṣṇus tvayā jitaḥ | ajeyaḥ puruṣair eṣa tathā devaiḥ savāsavaiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Rise, my son; do not grieve. Viṣṇu has not been conquered by you. This hero is unconquerable—by human beings, and likewise even by the gods, including Indra.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not fall into pride or despair based on apparent victory or defeat; some outcomes are shaped by divine order, and true strength includes humility and steadiness of mind.
After Babhruvāhana’s encounter with Arjuna during the Aśvamedha episode, the narrator consoles him: Arjuna was not truly ‘conquered’ by him, for Arjuna is portrayed as divinely protected and essentially unconquerable—even by the gods with Indra.