Shloka 28
Pradyumna–Śālva Missile-Exchange at Saubha (Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 18)
सात्यकिं बलदेवं च ये चान्येडन्धकवृष्णय: । मया स्पर्थन्ति सततं कि नु वक्ष्यामि तानहम्,'सात्यकिसे, बलरामजीसे तथा अन्धक और वृष्णिवंशके अन्य वीरोंसे, जो सदा मुझसे स्पर्धा रखते हैं, मैं क्या कहूँगा?
sātyakiṃ baladevaṃ ca ye cānye ’ndhaka-vṛṣṇayaḥ | mayā spardhanti satataṃ ki nu vakṣyāmi tān aham ||
Vāyu nói: “Còn như Sātyaki, Baladeva và các dũng sĩ khác thuộc dòng Andhaka và Vṛṣṇi—những kẻ luôn ganh đua với ta—thì rốt cuộc ta còn có thể nói gì về họ nữa?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights restraint and realism in judgment: when others are constant rivals, praise or blame can become biased or contentious; the speaker signals the limits of fair speech amid ongoing competition.
Vāyudeva refers to prominent Yādava heroes—Sātyaki, Baladeva, and other Andhaka-Vṛṣṇi warriors—stating that they continually vie with him, and therefore he questions what meaningful statement he can make about them.