वैशंपायन उवाच
अवियातो वियातस्य मौर्ख्याद् धूर्तस्य पश्यतः ॥
परिदेवयते मन्दः सकाशे सव्यसाचिनः ॥
त्रिगर्तान् मे पिता यातः शून्ये संप्रणिधाय माम् ॥
सर्वां सेनाम् उपादाय न मे सन्तीह सैनिकाः ॥
सो ऽहम् एको बहून् बालः कृतास्त्रान् अकृतश्रमः ॥
प्रतियोद्धुं न शक्ष्यामि निवर्तस्व बृहन्नडे ॥
अर्जुन उवाच
भयेन दीनरूपो ऽसि द्विषतां हर्षवर्धनः ॥
न च तावत् कृतं किं चित् परैः कर्म रणाजिरे ॥
स्वयम् एव च माम् आत्थ वह मां कौरवान् प्रति ॥
सो ऽहं त्वां तत्र नेष्यामि यत्रैते बहुला ध्वजाः ॥
मध्यम् आमिषगृध्राणां कुरूणाम् आततायिनाम् ॥
नेष्यामि त्वां महाबाहो पृथिव्याम् अपि युध्यताम् ॥
तथा स्त्रीषु प्रतिश्रुत्य पौरुषं पुरुषेषु च ॥
कत्थमानो ऽभिनिर्याय किमर्थं न युयुत्ससे ॥
न चेद् विजित्य गास् तास् त्वं गृहान् वै प्रतियास्यसि ॥
प्रहसिष्यन्ति वीर त्वां नरा नार्यश् च संगताः ॥
अहम् अप्य् अत्र सैरन्ध्र्या स्तुतः सारथ्यकर्मणि ॥
न हि शक्ष्याम्य् अनिर्जित्य गाः प्रयातुं पुरं प्रति ॥
स्तोत्रेण चैव सैरन्ध्र्यास् तव वाक्येन तेन च ॥
कथं न युध्येयम् अहं कुरून् सर्वान् स्थिरो भव ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
aviyāto viyātasya maurkhyād dhūrtasya paśyataḥ ||
paridevayate mandaḥ sakāśe savyasācinaḥ ||
trigartān me pitā yātaḥ śūnye saṃpraṇidhāya mām ||
sarvāṃ senām upādāya na me santīha sainikāḥ ||
so 'ham eko bahūn bālaḥ kṛtāstrān akṛtaśramaḥ ||
pratiyoddhuṃ na śakṣyāmi nivartasva bṛhannaḍe ||
arjuna uvāca
bhayena dīnarūpo 'si dviṣatāṃ harṣavardhanaḥ ||
na ca tāvat kṛtaṃ kiṃ cit paraiḥ karma raṇājire ||
svayam eva ca mām āttha vaha māṃ kauravān prati ||
so 'haṃ tvāṃ tatra neṣyāmi yatraite bahulā dhvajāḥ ||
madhyam āmiṣagṛdhrāṇāṃ kurūṇām ātatāyinām ||
neṣyāmi tvāṃ mahābāho pṛthivyām api yudhyatām ||
tathā strīṣu pratiśrutya pauruṣaṃ puruṣeṣu ca ||
katthamāno 'bhiniryāya kimarthaṃ na yuyutsase ||
na ced vijitya gās tās tvaṃ gṛhān vai pratiyāsyasi ||
prahasiṣyanti vīra tvāṃ narā nāryaś ca saṃgatāḥ ||
aham apy atra sairandhryā stutaḥ sārathyakarmaṇi ||
na hi śakṣyāmy anirjitya gāḥ prayātuṃ puraṃ prati ||
stotreṇa caiva sairandhryās tava vākyena tena ca ||
kathaṃ na yudhyeyam ahaṃ kurūn sarvān sthiro bhava ||
Vaishampayana said: ‘This fool, untested beside the tested, out of folly and before the eyes of the wise, lamented in the presence of Savyasachin: “My father has gone to the Trigartas, leaving me in an empty city, taking the whole army with him; I have no soldiers here. I am alone, young, untrained in toil, and I will not be able to withstand so many skilled in arms. Turn back, Brihannada.” Arjuna said: “You have grown wretched with fear and are increasing the joy of your enemies, though the enemy has not yet done anything on the field of battle. You yourself told me: ‘Drive me toward the Kauravas.’ So I will lead you there, where these many banners are. Into the midst of the Kurus, greedy for prey and bent on violence, I will lead you, mighty-armed one, even should they fight arrayed with the whole earth. Having made such promises among women and among men, having gone forth boasting, why do you not wish to fight? If you do not conquer and bring back those cows to your home, hero, the men and women gathered there will laugh at you. And I too was praised here by Sairandhri for my skill as a charioteer; without conquering the cows, I will not be able to go back to the city. Because of Sairandhri's praise, and because of that word of yours, how could I not fight all the Kurus? Be steadfast.”’
1467db09a9a1 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:23:49 PM UTC
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Arjuna heals Uttara's fear not with tenderness but with truth. He brings the youth back to his own words, because a promise must become a support, not merely an ornament of speech.