उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
श्र॒त्वा गृहीतं वाष्णेयं पाण्डवा हतचेतस: । निरुत्साहा भविष्यन्ति भग्नदंष्टा इवोरगा:
śrutvā gṛhītaṃ vāṣṇeyaṃ pāṇḍavā hata-cetasaḥ | nirutsāhā bhaviṣyanti bhagna-daṃṣṭrā ivoragāḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「ヴァーシュネーヤ(クリシュナ)が捕らえられたと聞けば、パーンダヴァたちは気力を失い、意気消沈するであろう――まるで牙を折られた蛇のように。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights how the capture or removal of a key righteous leader and strategist can collapse morale and resolve in an allied cause. Ethically, it underscores the responsibility of protecting pivotal figures whose presence sustains courage and clarity, and it warns against tactics aimed at breaking spirit rather than meeting opponents openly.
Vaiśampāyana describes the anticipated effect of news that Kṛṣṇa (Vāṣṇeya) has been seized: the Pāṇḍavas would become mentally crushed and lose initiative, compared to snakes rendered harmless when their fangs are broken.