Shloka 65
Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
असत्यो विक्रम: पार्थ यत्र भूरिश्रवा रणे । विशेषयति वार्ष्णेयं सात्यकिं सत्यविक्रमम्,'पार्थ! पराक्रम मिथ्या है, जिसका आश्रय लेनेपर भी वृष्णिवंशी सत्यपराक्रमी सात्यकिसे रणभूमिमें भूरिश्रवा बढ़ गये हैं!
sañjaya uvāca | asatyo vikramaḥ pārtha yatra bhūriśravā raṇe | viśeṣayati vārṣṇeyaṃ sātyakiṃ satyavikramam ||
Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, ‘valor’ seems false indeed—since on the battlefield Bhūriśravā has gained the upper hand over Sātyaki, the Vārṣṇeya, whose prowess is famed as true.” The line carries a bitter irony: in war, reputation and moral expectation can be overturned by circumstance, and ‘truth’ in strength is tested by outcomes rather than claims.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of worldly measures of ‘true valor’: even a warrior celebrated as satyavikrama (genuinely mighty) can be outmatched in a given moment. It invites reflection on how war tests reputations and how outcomes can contradict expectations, urging humility about claims of strength.
Sañjaya reports to Arjuna (addressed as Pārtha) that in the ongoing battle Bhūriśravā has gained an advantage over Sātyaki, the Vārṣṇeya warrior renowned for proven prowess, expressing this as an ironic comment that ‘valor is false’ when such a reversal occurs.