Shloka 61
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
युधिछिर उवाच पृच्छामि व्वां द्विजश्रेष्ठ शृणु यन्मेडभिकाड्क्षितम् । कथं जयेय॑ संग्रामे भवन्तमपराजितम्,युधिष्ठिर बोले--द्विजश्रेष्ठ)! मैं आपसे पूछता हूँ। आप मेरे मनोवांछित प्रश्नको सुनिये। आप किसीसे भी परास्त होनेवाले नहीं हैं; फिर आपको मैं युद्धमें कैसे जीत सकूँगा?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dvijaśreṣṭha śṛṇu yan me ’bhikāṅkṣitam | kathaṃ jayeyam saṅgrāme bhavantam aparājitam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I ask you, O best of the twice-born; listen to what I long to know. Since you are one who cannot be defeated by anyone, how could I ever overcome you in battle?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a righteous war, Yudhiṣṭhira frames victory as a moral problem: he seeks guidance rather than relying on pride or force, showing that dharma requires humility, consultation, and ethical clarity before action.
On the battlefield context of Bhīṣma Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a revered ‘dvijaśreṣṭha’ and asks how he could possibly defeat someone described as ‘aparājita’ (undefeated), indicating a search for counsel about overcoming an invincible opponent.