Shloka 26
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
य: सदैव मनुष्येषु प्रमाणं परमं गत: । गाण्डीवधन्वा श्वेताश्व: कपिप्रवरकेतन:
yaḥ sadaiva manuṣyeṣu pramāṇaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | gāṇḍīvadhanvā śvetāśvaḥ kapipravaraketanaḥ ||
He who, among men, had ever attained the highest standard of authority and excellence—Arjuna, bearer of the Gāṇḍīva bow, driver of the white horses, and he whose banner bore the foremost of monkeys—was thus being recalled and identified as the supreme exemplar in the human world.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates Arjuna as a ‘pramāṇa’—a living standard of excellence among humans—using emblematic epithets (Gāṇḍīva, white horses, Hanumān-banner) to signal that true authority is grounded in proven virtue, prowess, and the recognized symbols of righteous power.
Vaiśampāyana identifies Arjuna through his well-known epithets, emphasizing his unmatched stature among men. In the Sauptika context, such identification heightens the contrast between celebrated heroic norms and the grim aftermath of the night-raid episode.