उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
पुनरुक्तं च वक्ष्यामि विश्रम्भेण जनार्दन । का तु सीमन्तिनी मादृक् पृथिव्यामस्ति केशव,जनार्दन! आपपर अत्यन्त विश्वास होनेके कारण मैं अपनी कही हुई बातको पुनः दुहराती हूँ। केशव! इस पृथ्वीपर मेरे समान स्त्री कौन होगी?
punaruktaṃ ca vakṣyāmi viśrambheṇa janārdana | kā tu sīmāntinī mādṛk pṛthivyām asti keśava ||
ಜನಾರ್ದನ! ನಿನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸದಿಂದ ನಾನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಹೇಳಿದ ಮಾತನ್ನೇ ಮತ್ತೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಕೇಶವ! ಈ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನಂತ ಸ್ತ್ರೀ ಯಾರು ಇದ್ದಾರೆ?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights how strong personal confidence can shape speech—one may repeat a claim with bold assurance. Ethically, it also points to the tension between self-confidence and pride: asserting one’s uniqueness can be empowering, yet it risks slipping into arrogance, which dharma literature often treats as a moral hazard.
The speaker addresses Kṛṣṇa (as Janārdana/Keśava) and, trusting him, reiterates a prior statement. She then makes a self-exalting claim, asking rhetorically who on earth could be a woman like her, emphasizing her exceptional status or experience in the ongoing dialogue.