Shloka 153
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
शरौघधिणं पार्थिवान् मज्जयन्तं वेलेव पार्थमिषुभि: संसहिष्ये । “कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन अत्यन्त बलशाली
sañjaya uvāca | śaraughadhinaṃ pārthivān majjayantaṃ veleva pārtham iṣubhiḥ saṃsahiṣye | kuntīkumarārjuna atyanta-balaśālī mahān astradhārī samudra iva samaṃ durlanghyaḥ bhayaṅkaraḥ bāṇa-samūhānāṃ dhārāṃ vahann bahu-saṅkhyakān bhūpālān dubo deva | tathāpi ahaṃ samudraṃ rokamāṇā taṭabhūmi iva svabāṇaiḥ arjunaṃ balapūrvakaṃ rokeṣye tasya vegaṃ ca sahiṣye ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Aku akan menahan gelombang serangan anak panah Pārtha (Arjuna). Seperti pesisir yang menahan lautan, aku akan bertahan ketika dia mencurahkan hujan panah yang mampu menenggelamkan ramai raja. Arjuna, putera Kuntī, amat perkasa, mahir senjata agung—mengerikan, sukar ditembusi seperti samudera, dan tidak henti-henti memancurkan anak panah. Namun aku akan mengekang Arjuna dengan anak panahku sendiri dan menanggung derasnya serangannya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya resolve: recognizing an opponent’s overwhelming power yet committing to steadfast resistance. Ethically, it frames courage as disciplined endurance—like a shore that restrains the sea—rather than denial of danger.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s assessment of Arjuna: Arjuna is depicted as an ocean-like force whose arrows can ‘drown’ many kings. Despite this, the speaker vows to check Arjuna’s advance with his own arrows and withstand the assault.