Shloka 35
आदित्यस्तेजसां श्रेष्ठो गिरीणां हिमवान् वर: । जातीनां ब्राह्मण: श्रेष्ठ: श्रेष्टस्त्व्मसि धन्विनाम्,“तेजोमय पदार्थोमें सूर्य श्रेष्ठ हैं, पर्वतोंमें हिमालय महान् है, जातियोंमें ब्राह्मण श्रेष्ठ है और तुम सम्पूर्ण धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ हो
ādityas tejasāṃ śreṣṭho girīṇāṃ himavān varaḥ | jātīnāṃ brāhmaṇaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhas tvam asi dhanvinām ||
Sañjaya said: “Among sources of radiance, the Sun is the foremost; among mountains, Himavān (the Himalaya) is the most excellent; among social orders, the Brāhmaṇa is the श्रेष्ठ (best). In the same way, you are the foremost among all bowmen.” The verse functions as a chain of exemplary comparisons to affirm recognized hierarchies of excellence and to strengthen resolve by praising martial pre-eminence within the dharmic frame of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence is illustrated through culturally accepted exemplars (Sun among lights, Himalaya among mountains, Brāhmaṇa among jāti-s), culminating in the assertion of the addressed warrior’s supremacy among archers—praise used to steady confidence and affirm role-based dharma in the context of battle.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, delivers a laudatory comparison that elevates the addressed bowman as the foremost among dhanvins, using a sequence of well-known superlatives to intensify encouragement amid the Kurukṣetra war setting.