Shloka 20
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
पुनरुक्तं च वक्ष्यामि विश्रम्भेण जनार्दन । का तु सीमन्तिनी मादृक् पृथिव्यामस्ति केशव,जनार्दन! आपपर अत्यन्त विश्वास होनेके कारण मैं अपनी कही हुई बातको पुनः दुहराती हूँ। केशव! इस पृथ्वीपर मेरे समान स्त्री कौन होगी?
punaruktaṃ ca vakṣyāmi viśrambheṇa janārdana | kā tu sīmāntinī mādṛk pṛthivyām asti keśava ||
โอ้ชนารทนะ ด้วยความไว้วางใจอย่างเต็มเปี่ยม ข้าพเจ้าขอกล่าวซ้ำถ้อยคำเดิมอีกครั้ง โอ้เกศวะ ในแผ่นดินนี้จะมีสตรีใดเล่าเสมอเหมือนข้าพเจ้า?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how strong personal confidence can shape speech—one may repeat a claim with bold assurance. Ethically, it also points to the tension between self-confidence and pride: asserting one’s uniqueness can be empowering, yet it risks slipping into arrogance, which dharma literature often treats as a moral hazard.
The speaker addresses Kṛṣṇa (as Janārdana/Keśava) and, trusting him, reiterates a prior statement. She then makes a self-exalting claim, asking rhetorically who on earth could be a woman like her, emphasizing her exceptional status or experience in the ongoing dialogue.