Shloka 7
Chapter 40: Śiva in Kirāta Disguise Tests Arjuna
Mūka-vadha and the Contest
न त्वया पुरुष: कश्रित् पुमान् मर्त्येषु मानद । दिवि वा वर्तते क्षत्रं त्वत्प्रधानमरिंदम,मानद! मर्त्यलोक अथवा स्वर्गलोकमें भी कोई पुरुष तुम्हारे समान नहीं है। शत्रुदमन! क्षत्रिय-जातिमें तुम्हीं सबसे श्रेष्ठ हो
na tvayā puruṣaḥ kaścit pumān martyeṣu mānada | divi vā vartate kṣatraṃ tvatpradhānam ariṃdama ||
O Senhor dos deuses disse: “Ó dispensador de honra, entre os mortais não há homem igual a ti; nem mesmo no céu existe poder guerreiro que supere tua preeminência. Ó subjugador de inimigos, na ordem dos Kṣatriya tu estás em primeiro lugar.”
देवदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal Kṣatriya excellence as a form of dharmic leadership: true royal power (kṣatram) is measured not merely by strength but by recognized preeminence grounded in honor, restraint, and the capacity to subdue hostility in service of order.
Devadeva addresses a warrior-hero with formal epithets (“mānada,” “ariṃdama”), offering a superlative commendation: no equal exists among humans or even in heaven, and within the Kṣatriya estate the addressee is declared foremost.