Shloka 20

उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly

Devanagari script

निग्रहीतुं किलेच्छन्ति सहिता वासवानुजम्‌ | इमं पुरुषशार्दूलमप्रधृष्यं दुरासदम्‌

Transliteration

nigrahītuṃ kilecchanti sahitā vāsavānujam | imaṃ puruṣaśārdūlam apradhṛṣyaṃ durāsadam

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ພວກເຂົາຮ່ວມກັນເປັນໝູ່ ແລະປາດຖະໜາຈະກັກຂັງນ້ອງຊາຍຂອງວາສະວະ—ຜູ້ເປັນເສືອໃນບັນດາມະນຸດນີ້, ຜູ້ບໍ່ອາດຖືກປະຫັດປະຫານ ແລະເຂົ້າໃກ້ໄດ້ຍາກ»। ບັນທັດນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນຄວາມຕຶງຕັນທາງທຳມະໃນການເຜີຍໜ້າກັບວິລະຊົນຜູ້ແຂງແກ່ງ ແລະຊອບທຳ ດ້ວຍກຳລັງຮ່ວມ, ພ້ອມທັງບອກໃຫ້ຮູ້ຖຶງນ້ຳໜັກ ແລະຜົນຕາມມາຂອງການພະຍາຍາມຈະກົດຂີ່ຜູ້ແບບນັ້ນ.

Word by Word

निग्रहीतुम्to restrain, to seize/hold back

किलindeed, it is said

इच्छन्तिthey wish/desire

सहिताunited, together (assembled)

वासवानुजम्the younger brother of Vāsava (Indra) (i.e., Upendra/Vishnu)

इमम्this

पुरुषशार्दूलम्tiger among men, best of men

अप्रधृष्यम्unassailable, not to be overpowered

दुरासदम्hard to approach/attack

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Vāsava (Indra)

Vāsavānuja (Arjuna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of trying to restrain a supremely capable and principled warrior: opposing such a figure is not merely a tactical act but a morally charged decision with serious consequences, especially when done through collective pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator reports that a group, acting in unity, intends to subdue or restrain Arjuna (Indra’s younger brother), while emphasizing his extraordinary, nearly unassailable prowess and the difficulty of confronting him.