Shloka 16
Adhyāya 48 — Duryodhana’s Account of Tribute and the Provisioned Court (सभा पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
नैते युधि पराजेतुं शक््या देवगणैरपि । महारथा महेष्वासा: कृतास्त्रा युद्धदुर्मदा:
naite yudhi parājētuṁ śakyā devagaṇair api | mahārathā maheṣvāsāḥ kṛtāstrā yuddha-durmadāḥ ||
یہ لوگ جنگ میں دیوتاؤں کے گروہ بھی شکست نہیں دے سکتے۔ یہ سب مہارَتھی، عظیم کمان دار، ہتھیاروں میں کامل تربیت یافتہ اور جنگ کے جنون میں ڈوبے ہوئے ہیں۔
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fixation on power and rivalry breeds fear and overestimation of threat, pushing a leader toward aggressive choices instead of prudent restraint; it implicitly warns that pride and anxiety can cloud ethical judgment in political conflict.
Duryodhana is assessing the opposing warriors’ battle-capacity, declaring them virtually unconquerable—even by divine hosts—thereby expressing apprehension and setting the tone for heightened tension and strategic maneuvering.