Shloka 143
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
न तु शेषं शरास्तात कुर्युरस्ता: किरीटिना । तात संजय! अपने तेजसे जलता हुआ वज्र किसीके मस्तकपर पड़कर सम्भव है
na tu śeṣaṃ śarās tāta kuryur astāḥ kirīṭinā | tāta saṃjaya! apane tejasā jvalitaḥ vajraḥ kasyacid mastake patitvā sambhavaḥ, tasya jīvanaṃ bācayed api; parantu kirīṭadhārī arjunena calitāḥ bāṇāḥ yasya laganti, taṃ jīvitaṃ na muñcanti ||
持国王说道：“孩子啊，那位戴冠者所放之箭，必不留余。啊，三阇耶，也许有可能：雷霆之杵自带炽焰，击中某人头顶，却仍能留其性命；然而戴冠的阿周那所射之矢，一旦中标，绝不容人苟活。”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying certainty of consequences once a righteous and supremely skilled warrior acts: power guided by resolve can become inexorable. Ethically, it reflects Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious recognition that choices leading to war unleash forces that cannot be easily contained or reversed.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, speaking to Sañjaya, expresses dread about Arjuna’s martial prowess. He claims that even a thunderbolt might spare a victim, but Arjuna’s arrows, once they strike, do not leave survivors—highlighting the looming devastation if conflict proceeds.