Shloka 23
कस्तां सेनां तदा पार्थ मनसापि प्रधर्षयेत् । ऋते देवान्महेष्वासाद् बहुरूपान्महेश्वरात्,कुन्तीनन्दन! उस रोमांचकारी घोर संग्राममें अश्वत्थामा, कर्ण और कृपाचार्य आदि प्रहारकुशल बड़े-बड़े धनुर्धरोंसे सुरक्षित उस कौरव-सेनाको उस समय बहुरूपधारी महाधनुर्धर भगवान् महेश्वरके सिवा दूसरा कौन मनसे भी नष्ट कर सकता था
kas tāṁ senāṁ tadā pārtha manasāpi pradharṣayet | ṛte devān maheṣvāsād bahurūpān maheśvarāt ||
Vyāsa said: “O Pārtha, who at that time could even in thought overpower that army—protected by mighty, strike-skilled bowmen such as Aśvatthāmā, Karṇa, and Kṛpācārya—except the many-formed Lord Maheśvara, the great archer among the gods?” The verse underscores the terrifying strength of the Kaurava host and frames its near-invincibility as something only a divine power could subdue, reminding the listener of the limits of human prowess amid adharma-driven slaughter.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of human strength in the face of overwhelming, well-protected military power, implying that certain outcomes in war—especially when driven by destructive momentum—seem conquerable only by divine agency. Ethically, it cautions against pride in mere martial capability and points to a larger cosmic order governing victory and ruin.
Vyāsa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) and describes the Kaurava host as terrifyingly formidable, guarded by elite archers like Aśvatthāmā, Karṇa, and Kṛpa. He rhetorically asks who could subdue such an army even in thought, answering that only Maheśvara (Śiva), the many-formed great divine archer, could do so.