Shloka 21
अलायुधस्य भीमवधसंकल्पः
Alāyudha’s Resolve to Confront Bhīma
परं पुराणं पुरुषं पराणां परमं च यत् | प्रपद्यतस्तत् परमं परा भूतिर्विधीयते,“आप परम पुरातन पुरुष हैं। परसे भी पर हैं। आप परमेश्वरकी शरण लेनेवाले पुरुषको परम ऐश्वर्यकी प्राप्ति होती है
paraṁ purāṇaṁ puruṣaṁ parāṇāṁ paramaṁ ca yat | prapadyatas tat paramaṁ parā bhūtir vidhīyate |
Sañjaya said: He is the supreme, primeval Person, transcending even the highest. For one who takes refuge in Him, the highest exaltation—supreme prosperity and fulfillment—is ordained. The verse frames surrender not as escape from duty, but as the ethical ground from which true well-being and right action arise, even amid the violence and uncertainty of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme, timeless Lord stands above all exalted beings, and that wholehearted refuge in Him leads to the highest good (parā bhūti)—not merely material success, but ultimate flourishing grounded in dharma.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, inserts a theological affirmation: in the midst of the Drona-parvan war narrative, he highlights the supremacy of the divine and the fruit of surrender, implicitly contrasting transient battlefield gains with lasting spiritual attainment.