Shloka 22
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Disclosure, Drupada’s Counsel, and the Petition to Yakṣa Sthūṇākarṇa
Udyoga Parva 192
वासुदेवसमायुक्त रथेनायान्तमाहवे । समागच्छसि राधेय तेनैवमभिमन्यसे । शक्यमेवं च भूयश्न त्वया वक्तुं यथेष्टत:
sañjaya uvāca | vāsudeva-samāyuktaṁ rathenāyāntam āhave | samāgacchasi rādhēya tenaivam abhimanyase | śakyam evaṁ ca bhūyaś ca tvayā vaktuṁ yatheṣṭataḥ |
வாசுதேவனுடன் ஒரே தேரில் போருக்கு வருபவனை—ஓ ராதேயா—நீ நேரில் எதிர்கொள்ளாதவரைதான் இவ்வாறு பெருமிதம் கொள்கிறாய்; விரும்பினால் இதுபோன்ற இன்னும் பல வார்த்தைகளையும் பேசலாம்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques premature pride: confidence not tested by direct encounter is mere boasting. Ethically, it warns against speech driven by arrogance and urges humility until one has faced the true measure of an opponent.
In the Udyoga Parva context, Karṇa has made bold claims about destroying the Pāṇḍava forces quickly. The speaker (as reported by Sañjaya) counters that such bravado lasts only until Karṇa actually meets the warrior who comes in one chariot with Kṛṣṇa—i.e., Arjuna with Vāsudeva as charioteer—implying that the real test will silence empty boasts.