Shloka 121
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
महारथानां वीराणां कदनं च करिष्यति । सर्वेषामेव शत्रूणां चतुर्थाशं नयिष्यति
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahārathānāṃ vīrāṇāṃ kadanaṃ ca kariṣyati | sarveṣām eva śatrūṇāṃ caturthāṃśaṃ nayiṣyati |
“ಅವನು ಮಹಾರಥಿ ವೀರರ ಸಂಹಾರವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಶತ್ರುಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಒಂದು ನಾಲ್ಕನೇ ಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಮೃತ್ಯುಲೋಕಕ್ಕೆ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವನು.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of warrior duty: exceptional valor may be destined and even necessary for a larger righteous outcome, yet it manifests as devastating violence. It implicitly urges reflection on dharma in war—courage and skill do not erase the moral weight of destruction.
Vaiśampāyana reports a prediction about a great hero (contextually Abhimanyu): he will cause heavy casualties among elite warriors and eliminate a quarter of the enemy force, foreshadowing intense battle events and their consequences.