Shloka 923
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
प्रद्मुम्नश्च महाबाहुस्त्वं च सात्वत विश्रुतः । सात्वत! वृष्णिवंशी प्रमुख वीरोंमें रणक्षेत्रके लिये दो ही व्यक्ति अतिरथी माने गये हैं-- एक तो महाबाह प्रद्युम्न और दूसरे सुविख्यात वीर तुम
pradyumnaś ca mahābāhus tvaṃ ca sātvataviśrutaḥ | sātvatā vṛṣṇivaṃśī pramukha-vīreṣu raṇakṣetrāya dvāv eva vyaktī atirathī mānau—ekaḥ tu mahābāhuḥ pradyumnaḥ, dvitīyaḥ suvikhyāta-vīras tvaṃ |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Pradyumna, the mighty-armed, and you as well—renowned among the Sātvatas—O Sātvata, scion of the Vṛṣṇi line: among the foremost heroes, only two are regarded as ‘atirathas’ fit for the battlefield—one is the mighty-armed Pradyumna, and the other is you, the celebrated warrior.”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical discernment in war: true excellence is acknowledged through merit and capability, and leadership involves accurately recognizing who is genuinely fit for decisive battlefield roles.
In the Drona Parva’s war context, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a renowned Sātvata warrior and identifies only two foremost fighters as atirathas for the battlefield—Pradyumna and the person he is addressing—thereby emphasizing their exceptional martial status.