Shloka 216
उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
सिंहो नागानिव क्रुद्धो गमयेद् यमसादनम् । 'जैसे क्रोधमें भरा हुआ सिंह हाथियोंको नष्ट कर देता है
siṃho nāgān iva kruddho gamayed yamasādanam |
वैशम्पायन उवाच— यथा क्रुद्धः सिंहो नागानिव बलात् यमसादनं नयेत्, तथा भगवाञ्श्रीकृष्णोऽपि यदि इच्छेत्, क्रोधसमुत्थितः सर्वान् विपक्षीयान् योद्धॄन् यमलोकं प्रापयितुं समर्थः।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming, deterrent power of a righteous, divinely guided force: like a lion over elephants, Kṛṣṇa’s capability makes violence unnecessary if opponents heed counsel—yet it also warns that unchecked aggression can invite swift destruction.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war tension, the narrator (Vaiśampāyana) uses a vivid simile to convey that if Kṛṣṇa were to become wrathful, the opposing side could be annihilated—framing Kṛṣṇa as a decisive power whose restraint is purposeful.