प्राह सर्वान् समुद्वीक्ष्य भरतान् भारतं प्रति । कुन्तीपुत्र युधां श्रेष्ठ सुह्ृदां प्रीतिवर्धनम्,उन्होंने वह तकिया देनेसे अर्जुनकी प्रशंसा करके उन्हें प्रसन्न किया और समस्त भरतवंशियोंकी ओर देखकर योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ, सुहदोंका आनन्द बढ़ानेवाले, भरतकुलभूषण, कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनसे इस प्रकार कहा--
sañjaya uvāca | prāha sarvān samudvīkṣya bharatān bhārataṃ prati | kuntīputra yudhāṃ śreṣṭha suhṛdāṃ prītivardhanam |
Sanjaya said: Having looked over all the Bharatas, he addressed the descendant of Bharata. Praising Kunti’s son Arjuna—best among warriors, one who increases the joy of friends—he spoke to him in this manner, seeking to hearten him and set the tone for what was to be said amid the gathering of kinsmen on the brink of war.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical power of speech in a crisis: before giving counsel, one steadies the listener through respectful praise and by acknowledging their virtues—especially courage, loyalty, and the capacity to uplift allies—so that right action (dharma) can be received and carried out.
Sanjaya narrates that a speaker, after surveying the assembled Bharata kinsmen, turns to Arjuna and addresses him with honorific epithets—best of fighters and gladdener of friends—preparing to deliver a consequential statement in the tense prelude to battle.