Shloka 243
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
को जीवितं रक्षमाणो हि तेन युयुत्सेद् वै मानुषो मामृतेडन्य: । “जिन सव्यसाची अर्जुनने खाण्डववनमें देवताओं-सहित समस्त प्राणियोंको जीत लिया था
ko jīvitaṃ rakṣamāṇo hi tena yuyutsed vai mānuṣo māmṛte 'nyaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Orang manakah, yang masih ingin menjaga nyawanya, sanggup berhasrat untuk bertarung dengannya? Selain aku, siapa lagi yang akan memilih pertempuran melawan Savyasācī Arjuna—yang pernah menundukkan segala makhluk, bersama para dewa, di rimba Khāṇḍava?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical realism of war: a wise person values life and avoids needless combat against an overwhelmingly superior warrior; choosing such a fight signals extraordinary resolve, compulsion of duty, or fatalistic acceptance.
Sañjaya highlights Arjuna’s unmatched martial reputation by recalling his victory in the Khāṇḍava episode, implying that no ordinary man would willingly face him—thereby intensifying the tension around who will dare oppose Arjuna in the ongoing battle.