Shloka 21

Virāṭa’s Conciliation and Uttara’s Account of the Unseen Champion

Bṛhannadā/Arjuna

Devanagari script

ऋते शान्तनवाद्‌ भीष्मात्‌ कृष्णाद्‌ वा देवकीसुतात्‌ । आचार्यप्रवराद्‌ वापि भारद्वाजान्महाबलात्‌

Transliteration

ṛte śāntanavād bhīṣmāt kṛṣṇād vā devakīsutāt | ācāryapravarād vāpi bhāradvājān mahābalāt ||

Translation

ശാന്തനുവിന്റെ പുത്രനായ ഭീഷ്മനെ ഒഴികെ, ദേവകീസുതനായ കൃഷ്ണനെ ഒഴികെ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ആചാര്യപ്രവരനായ മഹാബലൻ ഭാരദ്വാജപുത്രൻ (ദ്രോണൻ) ഒഴികെ—(മറ്റാരുമില്ല).

Word by Word

ऋतेexcept/without

शान्तनवात्from Śāntanu’s descendant (Bhīṣma)

भीष्मात्from Bhīṣma

कृष्णात्from Kṛṣṇa

वाor

देवकीसुतात्from Devakī’s son (Kṛṣṇa)

आचार्यप्रवरात्from the foremost teacher (Droṇa)

वाor

अपिalso/even

भारद्वाजात्from Bhāradvāja’s (son) (Droṇa)

महाबलात्from the very strong one

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhīṣma

Śāntanu

Kṛṣṇa

Devakī

Droṇa (Bhāradvāja)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a standard epic ethical-narrative device: true excellence is measured against acknowledged exemplars. By naming Bhīṣma, Kṛṣṇa, and Droṇa, it frames martial and moral authority as anchored in revered elders and divinely guided leadership, implying that claims of superiority must be tested against the highest standards.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing someone’s exceptional capability by stating that, apart from the greatest figures—Bhīṣma, Kṛṣṇa, and the foremost teacher Droṇa—no one else could match (that person). The line functions as a comparative encomium within the ongoing account in Virāṭa Parva.