Shloka 18
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
समप्रमाणान् पाण्डूनां समवीर्यान् मदोत्कटान् | सौभद्रंं च महेष्वासममरैरपि दुःसहम्
samapramāṇān pāṇḍūnāṃ samavīryān madotkaṭān | saubhadraṃ ca maheṣvāsaṃ amarair api duḥsaham ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “(Mereka melihat) putera-putera Pāṇḍu—setara pada tubuh, setara pada keperkasaan, dan garang dalam keangkuhan yang membara—serta Saubhadra, pemanah agung, yang dahsyat bahkan bagi para dewa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the formidable capability of the righteous side’s warriors: excellence and unity in strength can make a force “unendurable,” yet the mention of pride (mada) also hints at the ethical need for self-restraint even amid justified power.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas as evenly matched in stature and valor, and singles out Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) as a great archer whose might is portrayed as daunting even to the gods—building the atmosphere of impending conflict in the Udyoga Parva.