Shloka 326
यद्येषां न भवेद् गोप्ता विष्वक्सेनो महाबल: । “यदि महाबली भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उन पाण्डवोंकी रक्षा न करते तो मैं इन सबको केवल एक धनुषके ही द्वारा मार सकता था
yadyeṣāṁ na bhaved goptā viśvakseno mahābalaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “If those men had not been protected by the mighty Viśvaksena—Lord Kṛṣṇa—then I could have slain them all with a single bow.” The remark underscores how, amid the fury of war, human prowess is portrayed as limited when opposed by divine guardianship and the moral force aligned with the Pāṇḍavas’ cause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the theme that mere martial skill is not ultimate; when divine guardianship (here identified with Kṛṣṇa as Viśvaksena) supports a cause, human power is checked. It frames victory and survival as connected to protection aligned with dharma, not only to weapons and strength.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s assessment of the battlefield situation: the Pāṇḍavas remain unharmed not simply by chance but because Kṛṣṇa is seen as their protector. The speaker claims that without Kṛṣṇa’s protection, he could have destroyed them all with his bow—an expression of confidence tempered by acknowledgment of Kṛṣṇa’s decisive role.