Shloka 98
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
पाण्डवानामहं पुत्र: समरेष्वनिवर्तिनाम् | रक्षसामधिराजो<हं दशग्रीवसमो बले,“देख, मैं कौरवोंके विशाल कुलमें भीमसेनसे उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ, समरांगणमें कभी पीठ न दिखानेवाले पाण्डवोंका पुत्र हूँ, राक्षम्ोंका राजा हूँ और दशग्रीव रावणके समान बलवान् हूँ
sañjaya uvāca |
pāṇḍavānām ahaṃ putraḥ samareṣv anivartinām |
rakṣasām adhirājo 'haṃ daśagrīva-samo bale ||
सञ्जय उवाच—पाण्डवानामहं पुत्रः समरेष्वनिवर्तिनाम्। रक्षसामधिराजोऽहं दशग्रीवसमो बले॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, characters often assert worth through ancestry and force. Ethically, it contrasts pride and intimidation with the Mahābhārata’s broader insistence that true greatness is measured by dharma, self-control, and right conduct—not merely by strength.
A warrior is being described (through Sañjaya’s narration) as proclaiming his identity: he claims descent from the Pāṇḍavas, declares himself an unretreating fighter, and boasts of being the king of Rākṣasas, as powerful as Rāvaṇa—language meant to magnify his terror and battlefield presence.