पार्थ नेदं त्वया शक्यं पुरं जेतुं कथं चन ॥
उपावर्तस्व कल्याण पर्याप्तम् इदम् अच्युत ॥
इदं पुरं यः प्रविशेद् ध्रुवं स न भवेन् नरः ॥
प्रीयामहे त्वया वीर पर्याप्तो विजयस् तव ॥
न चापि किं चिज् जेतव्यम् अर्जुनात्र प्रदृश्यते ॥
उत्तराः कुरवो ह्य् एते नात्र युद्धं प्रवर्तते ॥
pārtha nedaṃ tvayā śakyaṃ puraṃ jetuṃ kathaṃ cana ||
upāvartasva kalyāṇa paryāptam idam acyuta ||
idaṃ puraṃ yaḥ praviśed dhruvaṃ sa na bhaven naraḥ ||
prīyāmahe tvayā vīra paryāpto vijayas tava ||
na cāpi kiṃ cij jetavyam arjunātra pradṛśyate ||
uttarāḥ kuravo hy ete nātra yuddhaṃ pravartate ||
"Partha, this city is not to be conquered by you in any way; turn back, o gracious one — enough of this, o unshaken one. Whoever enters this city will surely cease to be a man; we are pleased with you, hero — your victory is sufficient. And nothing that could be conquered is to be seen here, o Arjuna; for these are the Northern Kurus — here no battle is waged."
69594d15f389 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:50 PM UTC
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The guards proclaim the limit of all conquest: there is a land where "no battle is waged," and force here finds nothing to subdue. It is significant that to enter there means to "cease to be a man": Uttarakuru is the land of the blessed, inaccessible to mortal governance. The verse teaches the wisdom of measure: even the greatest weapon has a boundary beyond which the realm of force ends and a realm begins that one enters not by conquering. True victory is knowing where one must stop; "enough of this" is a word harder for valor to accept than a new battle.