Shloka 7
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
अस्ति कश्रिद् विशिष्टो वा मद्विधो वा भवेद् युधि । शूद्रो वैश्य: क्षत्रियो वा ब्राह्मणो वापि शस्त्रभृत्,“क्या इस जगत्में कोई ऐसा शस्त्रधारी शूद्र, वैश्य, क्षत्रिय अथवा ब्राह्मण है, जो युद्धमें मुझसे बढ़कर अथवा मेरे समान भी हो सके?
asti kaścid viśiṣṭo vā madvidho vā bhaved yudhi | śūdro vaiśyaḥ kṣatriyo vā brāhmaṇo vāpi śastrabhṛt ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：“这世间可有一人——无论首陀罗、吠舍、刹帝利，乃至婆罗门——执持兵刃，能在战场上胜我，或与我比肩？”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial pride seeks validation through comparison—“is anyone my equal?”—while implicitly raising a dharmic question: true worth is not only power in battle but also restraint, humility, and right conduct, especially when strength tempts one toward arrogance.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war atmosphere, a speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) voices a sweeping challenge, claiming unmatched superiority in battle and naming all four varṇas to emphasize that no weapon-bearing person, of any social class, can rival him.