Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 18
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
समप्रमाणान् पाण्डूनां समवीर्यान् मदोत्कटान् | सौभद्रंं च महेष्वासममरैरपि दुःसहम्
samapramāṇān pāṇḍūnāṃ samavīryān madotkaṭān | saubhadraṃ ca maheṣvāsaṃ amarair api duḥsaham ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “(Họ thấy) các con của Pāṇḍu—tầm vóc ngang nhau, dũng lực ngang nhau, dữ dội trong niềm kiêu hãnh sôi sục—và cả Saubhadra, đại cung thủ, đáng gờm ngay cả đối với chư thiên.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the formidable capability of the righteous side’s warriors: excellence and unity in strength can make a force “unendurable,” yet the mention of pride (mada) also hints at the ethical need for self-restraint even amid justified power.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas as evenly matched in stature and valor, and singles out Abhimanyu (Saubhadra) as a great archer whose might is portrayed as daunting even to the gods—building the atmosphere of impending conflict in the Udyoga Parva.