Shloka 29
Vṛtra’s Cosmic Threat, Viṣṇu’s Upāya, and the Conditional Vulnerability
Udyoga-parva 10
न शुष्केण न चार्द्रेण नाश्मना न च दारुणा । न शस्त्रेण न चास्त्रेण न दिवा न तथा निशि
na śuṣkeṇa na cārdreṇa nāśmanā na ca dāruṇā | na śastreṇa na cāstreṇa na divā na tathā niśi |
‘ن خشک چیز سے، نہ تر چیز سے؛ نہ پتھر سے، نہ لکڑی سے؛ نہ شستر سے، نہ استر سے؛ نہ دن میں، نہ رات میں—میں اندر اور دیوتاؤں کے ہاتھوں قتل نہ کیا جاؤں۔’
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power can be sought through narrowly defined protections and contracts; ethically, it warns that relying on technical conditions rather than righteous conduct (dharma) often leads to vulnerability through unforeseen exceptions.
Śalya articulates a set of exclusions—dry/wet, stone/wood, weapon/missile, day/night—as the terms under which he would accept an enduring alliance (sāndhi) with Indra and the gods, presenting a classic epic motif of conditional invulnerability.