Shloka 11
तिछेत कस्तस्य मर्त्य: पुरस्ताद् यः सर्वलोकेषु वरेण्य एक: । पर्जन्यघोषान् प्रवपञ्छरौघान् पतड़सड्घानिव शीघ्रवेगान्,गाण्डीवधारी सव्यसाची अर्जुन रथमें बैठकर अकेले ही सारी पृथ्वीको जीत सकते हैं। इसी प्रकार विजयशील एवं दुर्धर्ष महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण भी तीनों लोकोंको जीतकर उनके अधिपति हो सकते हैं। जो समस्त लोकोंमें एकमात्र सर्वश्रेष्ठ वीर हैं, जो मेघ-गर्जनाके समान गम्भीर शब्द करनेवाले तथा टिडियोंके दलकी भाँति तीव्र वेगसे चलनेवाले बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा करते हैं, उन वीरवर अर्जुनके सामने कौन मनुष्य ठहर सकता है? सर्वे कुरुभ्य: स्पृहयन्ति संजय धनुर्धरा ये पृथिव्यां प्रधाना: । महाप्राज्ञा: सर्वशास्त्रावदाता धनुर्भता मुख्यतमा: पृथिव्याम् संजय! क्या पृथ्वीके ये महान् धनुर्धर, जो परम बुद्धिमान, समस्त शास्त्रोंके ज्ञानसे उज्ज्वल तथा भू-मण्डलके धनुर्धरोंमें प्रधान हैं, कौरवोंसे स्नेह-भाव रखते हैं?
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tiṣṭhet kas tasya martyaḥ purastād yaḥ sarvalokeṣu vareṇya ekaḥ | parjanyaghoṣān pravapan śaraughān pataṅgasaṅghān iva śīghravegān | gāṇḍīvadhārī savyasācī arjunaḥ ratham āruhya eko 'pi sarvāṃ pṛthivīṃ jetum arhati | tathā vijayī ca durdharṣaḥ mahātmā śrīkṛṣṇo 'pi trīṃl lokān jitvā teṣām adhipatir bhavet | sarve kurubhyaḥ spṛhayanti sañjaya dhanurdharā ye pṛthivyāṃ pradhānāḥ | mahāprājñāḥ sarvaśāstrāvadātā dhanurbhṛtā mukhyatamāḥ pṛthivyām | sañjaya! kim ete pṛthivyā mahādhanuṣmantaḥ kauraveṣu snehabhāvaṃ kurvanti?
Vaiśampāyana said: Who among mortals could stand before that one peerless hero, the best in all the worlds—who, with a roar like thunderclouds, pours forth volleys of arrows that rush as swiftly as swarms of locusts? Gāṇḍīva-bearing Arjuna, the ambidextrous master of the bow, could mount his chariot and conquer the whole earth even alone. Likewise, the victorious and unassailable great-souled Śrī Kṛṣṇa could subdue the three worlds and become their lord. And, Sañjaya—do the foremost bowmen of the earth, supremely intelligent and radiant with knowledge of all the śāstras, truly feel attachment toward the Kauravas?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores how extraordinary capability and rightful sovereignty (kṣātra-tejas) can outweigh mere numbers, while also questioning where allegiance should lie—whether with a faction (the Kauravas) or with the truly worthy and dharmically grounded leaders.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to Janamejaya, praises Arjuna’s unmatched martial prowess through vivid similes and pairs it with Kṛṣṇa’s cosmic supremacy. He then turns to Sañjaya with a pointed question about whether the leading warriors of the earth genuinely favor the Kauravas—hinting at shifting alliances on the eve of conflict.