Shloka 73
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
अग्निं समिद्धं शमयेद् भुजाभ्यां चन्द्र च सूर्य च निवारयेत । हरेद् देवानाममृतं प्रसहा युद्धेन यो वासुदेवं जिगीषेत्
sañjaya uvāca | agniṁ samiddhaṁ śamayed bhujābhyāṁ candraṁ ca sūryaṁ ca nivārayet | hared devānām amṛtaṁ prasahya yuddhena yo vāsudevaṁ jigīṣet ||
Sañjaya berkata: Sesiapa yang mahu menewaskan Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) melalui perang, seolah-olah cuba melakukan yang mustahil—memadam api yang marak dengan lengan kosong, menghentikan perjalanan Bulan dan Matahari, serta merampas dengan paksa amṛta, nektar keabadian para dewa. Maknanya bukan sekadar soal strategi, tetapi juga soal dharma: memusuhi Kṛṣṇa ialah mencabar tertib kosmos, dan itu tidak akan berjaya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Opposing Kṛṣṇa through violence is portrayed as inherently futile and ethically misguided: it is like attempting to overturn the laws of nature and the divine order. The verse teaches that power aligned with dharma and the cosmic order cannot be overcome by mere force.
Sañjaya, describing the unfolding political-military crisis, emphasizes Kṛṣṇa’s invincibility and the impossibility of defeating him by war. He uses a chain of hyperbolic comparisons—quenching a blazing fire with bare arms, stopping the Sun and Moon, and stealing amṛta from the gods—to warn that such an attempt is doomed.