Shloka 17
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
देवदानवगन्धर्वमनुष्यपतगोरगा: । न समा मम वीर्यस्य शतांशेनापि पिण्डिता:,“ब्रह्मन! देवता, दानव, गन्धर्व, मनुष्य, पक्षी और नाग--ये सब मिलकर मेरे पराक्रमके सौवें अंशकी भी समानता नहीं कर सकते
devadānavagandharvamanuṣyapatagoragāḥ | na samā mama vīryasya śatāṃśenāpi piṇḍitāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “O Brahmin, kahit pagsama-samahin pa ang mga deva, mga asura, mga Gandharva, mga tao, mga ibon, at mga ahas, hindi pa rin nila matatapatan kahit isang daang bahagi man lamang ng aking lakas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds hubris: a warrior’s claim of unmatched power, even against all classes of beings combined. In the Sauptika context, such self-exaltation intensifies the ethical warning that pride and unrestrained martial confidence can accompany, justify, or precipitate grievous wrongdoing.
In the Sauptika Parva setting, a speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) voices an extreme boast, declaring that even the combined might of gods, demons, Gandharvas, humans, birds, and serpents cannot equal a hundredth of his strength. The statement functions to characterize the speaker’s mindset and to raise the dramatic stakes amid the night-raid aftermath.