Shloka 21
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
युधिछिर उवाच एकाह्ला निर्दहेयं वै शत्रूनित्यर्जुनो 5ब्रवीत् । न च तत् कृतवानेष शूरमानी ततोडपतत्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ekāhena nirdahye'yaṃ vai śatrūn ity arjuno 'bravīt | na ca tat kṛtavān eṣa śūramānī tato 'patat ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Arjuna, orgulhoso de sua valentia, declarou certa vez: ‘Num só dia reduzirei os inimigos a cinzas.’ Contudo, não realizou o que dissera. Por esse brado não cumprido, caiu agora.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical warning against pride and rash boasting: words that proclaim extraordinary power must be matched by deeds. Unfulfilled claims born of self-conceit lead to moral and existential downfall, especially on the path of dharma where truthfulness and humility are paramount.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ great departure, companions fall one by one. Here Yudhiṣṭhira explains Arjuna’s fall as the consequence of his earlier boast that he would annihilate the enemies in a single day—an assertion he did not ultimately realize—revealing a lapse into pride.