Shloka 72

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration

Sañjaya’s Report

Devanagari script

गिरिं य इच्छेत्‌ तु तलेन भेत्तु शिलोच्चयं श्वेतमतिप्रमाणम्‌ | तस्यैव पाणि: सनखो विशीरयें- न्न चापि किंचित्‌ स गिरेस्तु कुर्यात्‌

Transliteration

giriṁ ya icchet tu talena bhettuṁ śilocchayaṁ śvetam atipramāṇam | tasyaiva pāṇiḥ sanakho viśīryen na cāpi kiṁcit sa gires tu kuryāt ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「もし人が、ただ掌の一撃だけで、そびえ立つ岩塊――計り知れぬ大きさの白き山――を裂こうと望むなら、砕け散るのはその者自身の手であり、爪に至るまで粉々となろう。山は微塵も損なわれぬ。この譬えは、揺るがぬものに挑む愚かさを示す。分別に導かれぬ無謀な力は、憎む対象ではなく、振るう者自身を滅ぼすのだ。」

Word by Word

• {'giri': 'mountain', 'icchet': 'would wish, would desire', 'tala': 'palm of the hand', 'bhettum': 'to split, to break asunder', 'śilocchaya': 'heap/mass of rocks

• rocky pile', 'śveta': 'white, bright', 'atipramāṇa': 'of excessive/immeasurable magnitude', 'tasya eva': 'of him alone

• his very (own)', 'pāṇi': 'hand', 'sanakha': 'together with the nails', 'viśīryet': 'would be torn apart, shattered, disintegrate', 'na ca api': 'and not even', 'kiṁcit': 'anything at all', 'gireḥ tu': 'of the mountain, however', 'kuryāt': 'would do, would accomplish'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• गिरि (mountain)
• शिलोच्चय (mass of rocks)
• श्वेतः अतिप्रमाणः गिरिः (the vast white mountain; implied Kailāsa in the Hindi gloss)
• तल (palm)
• पाणि (hand)
• नख (nails)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Blind aggression against an immovable or vastly superior reality is self-destructive. Ethical strength here is discernment (viveka): choosing proportionate, lawful means rather than prideful violence that rebounds upon oneself.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya uses a vivid simile: someone trying to crack an enormous white mountain with a palm-strike only ends up shattering his own hand. The image functions as counsel—warning that certain confrontations, driven by arrogance or impatience, cannot succeed and will instead harm the instigator.