Shloka 16
Adhyāya 48 — Duryodhana’s Account of Tribute and the Provisioned Court (सभा पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
नैते युधि पराजेतुं शक््या देवगणैरपि । महारथा महेष्वासा: कृतास्त्रा युद्धदुर्मदा:
naite yudhi parājētuṁ śakyā devagaṇair api | mahārathā maheṣvāsāḥ kṛtāstrā yuddha-durmadāḥ ||
«Этих не одолеть в бою — даже сонмам богов. Они — махаратхи, могучие лучники, полностью обученные оружию и опьянённые яростью войны.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fixation on power and rivalry breeds fear and overestimation of threat, pushing a leader toward aggressive choices instead of prudent restraint; it implicitly warns that pride and anxiety can cloud ethical judgment in political conflict.
Duryodhana is assessing the opposing warriors’ battle-capacity, declaring them virtually unconquerable—even by divine hosts—thereby expressing apprehension and setting the tone for heightened tension and strategic maneuvering.