Shloka 69
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
वव्रे चाहं वजहस्तान्महेन्द्रा- दस्मिन् युद्धे वासुदेव॑ं सहायम् । स मे लब्धो दस्युवधाय कृष्णो मन्ये चैतद् विहितं दैवतैमें
vavre cāhaṁ vajrahastān mahendrād asmin yuddhe vāsudevaṁ sahāyam | sa me labdho dasyuvadhāya kṛṣṇo manye caitad vihitaṁ daivataiḥ me ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dalam perang ini aku memilih Vāsudeva sebagai pembantuku, sekalipun mengetepikan Mahendra yang memegang vajra. Maka Kṛṣṇa telah datang kepadaku untuk membinasakan para perompak itu; aku beranggapan bahawa para dewa sendirilah yang telah mengatur hal ini demi diriku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in seeking the right support: even the might of Indra is set aside in favor of Kṛṣṇa, implying that moral and divinely guided assistance is superior to mere power. It also frames the coming violence as socially protective—directed against ‘dasyus’ (marauders)—and as something believed to be divinely ordained.
Sañjaya reports a speaker’s reflection that, for the impending conflict, he deliberately chose Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) as his helper rather than Indra. He interprets Kṛṣṇa’s availability as providential, meant for the destruction of lawless aggressors described as dasyus.