उत्तर उवाच
बिभेमि नाहम् एतेषां जानामि त्वां स्थिरं युधि ॥
केशवेनापि संग्रामे साक्षाद् इन्द्रेण वा समम् ॥
इदं तु चिन्तयन्न् एव परिमुह्यामि केवलम् ॥
निश्चयं चापि दुर्मेधा न गच्छामि कथं चन ॥
एवं वीराङ्गरूपस्य लक्षणैर् उचितस्य च ॥
केन कर्मविपाकेन क्लीबत्वम् इदम् आगतम् ॥
मन्ये त्वां क्लीबवेषेण चरन्तं शूलपाणिनम् ॥
गन्धर्वराजप्रतिमं देवं वापि शतक्रतुम् ॥
अर्जुन उवाच
भ्रातुर् नियोगाज् ज्येष्ठस्य संवत्सरम् इदं व्रतम् ॥
चरामि ब्रह्मचर्यं वै सत्यम् एतद् ब्रवीमि ते ॥
नास्मि क्लीबो महाबाहो परवान् धर्मसंयुतः ॥
समाप्तव्रतम् उत्तीर्णं विद्धि मां त्वं नृपात्मज ॥
उत्तर उवाच
परमो ऽनुग्रहो मे ऽद्य यत् प्रतर्को न मे वृथा ॥
न हीदृशाः क्लीबरूपा भवन्तीह नरोत्तमाः ॥
सहायवान् अस्मि रणे युध्येयम् अमरैर् अपि ॥
साध्वसं तत् प्रनष्टं मे किं करोमि ब्रवीहि मे ॥
अहं ते संग्रहीष्यामि हयाञ् शत्रुरथारुजः ॥
शिक्षितो ह्य् अस्मि सारथ्ये तीर्थतः पुरुषर्षभ ॥
दारुको वासुदेवस्य यथा शक्रस्य मातलिः ॥
तथा मां विद्धि सारथ्ये शिक्षितं नरपुंगव ॥
uttara uvāca
bibhemi nāham eteṣāṃ jānāmi tvāṃ sthiraṃ yudhi ||
keśavenāpi saṃgrāme sākṣād indreṇa vā samam ||
idaṃ tu cintayann eva parimuhyāmi kevalam ||
niścayaṃ cāpi durmedhā na gacchāmi kathaṃ cana ||
evaṃ vīrāṅgarūpasya lakṣaṇair ucitasya ca ||
kena karmavipākena klībatvam idam āgatam ||
manye tvāṃ klībaveṣeṇa carantaṃ śūlapāṇinam ||
gandharvarājapratimaṃ devaṃ vāpi śatakratum ||
arjuna uvāca
bhrātur niyogāj jyeṣṭhasya saṃvatsaram idaṃ vratam ||
carāmi brahmacaryaṃ vai satyam etad bravīmi te ||
nāsmi klībo mahābāho paravān dharmasaṃyutaḥ ||
samāptavratam uttīrṇaṃ viddhi māṃ tvaṃ nṛpātmaja ||
uttara uvāca
paramo 'nugraho me 'dya yat pratarko na me vṛthā ||
na hīdṛśāḥ klībarūpā bhavantīha narottamāḥ ||
sahāyavān asmi raṇe yudhyeyam amarair api ||
sādhvasaṃ tat pranaṣṭaṃ me kiṃ karomi bravīhi me ||
ahaṃ te saṃgrahīṣyāmi hayāñ śatrurathārujaḥ ||
śikṣito hy asmi sārathye tīrthataḥ puruṣarṣabha ||
dāruko vāsudevasya yathā śakrasya mātaliḥ ||
tathā māṃ viddhi sārathye śikṣitaṃ narapuṃgava ||
Uttara said: "I do not fear them. I know you to be steadfast in battle, equal to Keshava himself or to Indra. But thinking on this, I am simply bewildered and cannot come to any conclusion: by what fruit of action has such a hero's form and such marks come to this sexlessness? I think that you, walking about in the guise of one without sex, are Shula-pani himself, or resemble the king of the gandharvas, or even the god Shatakratu." Arjuna said: "By the command of my eldest brother I have kept this vow of celibacy this whole year; I tell you the truth. I am not sexless, O mighty-armed one; I am subject to another and bound by dharma. Know, son of the king, that my vow is completed and I have passed beyond it." Uttara said: "Today the highest grace has been shown to me, for my guess was not in vain. Such best of men do not appear here in sexless form. With a companion I would fight in battle even against the immortals. That fear of mine has vanished; tell me what to do. I shall hold your horses, the crushers of enemy chariots, for I am trained in charioteering by the rules, O bull among men. As Daruka is to Vasudeva and Matali to Shakra, so know me to be trained in charioteering, best of men."
910c53acd19c · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:23:49 PM UTC
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Arjuna explains the disguise as service to a vow, not weakness. Dharma sometimes requires that strength not be shown until its time has come.