वैशंपायन उवाच
ततो वैकर्तनं जित्वा पार्थो वैराटिम् अब्रवीत् ॥
एतन् मां प्रापयानीकं यत्र तालो हिरण्मयः ॥
अत्र शांतनवो भीष्मो रथे ऽस्माकं पितामहः ॥
काङ्क्षमाणो मया युद्धं तिष्ठत्य् अमरदर्शनः ॥
आदास्याम्य् अहम् एतस्य धनुर्ज्याम् अपि चाहवे ॥
अस्यन्तं दिव्यम् अस्त्रं मां चित्रम् अद्य निशामय ॥
शतह्रदाम् इवायान्तीं स्तनयित्नोर् इवाम्बरे ॥
सुवर्णपृष्ठं गाण्डीवं द्रक्ष्यन्ति कुरवो मम ॥
दक्षिणेनाथ वामेन कतरेण स्विद् अस्यति ॥
इति मां संगताः सर्वे तर्कयिष्यन्ति शत्रवः ॥
शोणितोदां रथावर्तां नागनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् ॥
नदीं प्रस्यन्दयिष्यामि परलोकप्रवाहिनीम् ॥
पाणिपादशिरःपृष्ठबाहुशाखानिरन्तरम् ॥
वनं कुरूणां छेत्स्यामि भल्लैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
जयतः कौरवीं सेनाम् एकस्य मम धन्विनः ॥
शतं मार्गा भविष्यन्ति पावकस्येव कानने ॥
मया चक्रम् इवाविद्धं सैन्यं द्रक्ष्यसि केवलम् ॥
असंभ्रान्तो रथे तिष्ठ समेषु विषमेषु च ॥
दिवम् आवृत्य तिष्ठन्तं गिरिं भेत्स्यामि धारिभिः ॥
अहम् इन्द्रस्य वचनात् संग्रामे ऽभ्यहनं पुरा ॥
पौलोमान् कालखञ्जांश् च सहस्राणि शतानि च ॥
अहम् इन्द्राद् दृढां मुष्टिं ब्रह्मणः कृतहस्तताम् ॥
प्रगाढं तुमुलं चित्रम् अतिविद्धं प्रजापतेः ॥
अहं पारे समुद्रस्य हिरण्यपुरम् आरुजम् ॥
जित्वा षष्टिसहस्राणि रथिनाम् उग्रधन्विनाम् ॥
ध्वजवृक्षं पत्तितृणं रथसिंहगणायुतम् ॥
वनम् आदीपयिष्यामि कुरूणाम् अस्त्रतेजसा ॥
तान् अहं रथनीडेभ्यः शरैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
एकः संकालयिष्यामि वज्रपाणिर् इवासुरान् ॥
रौद्रं रुद्राद् अहं ह्य् अस्त्रं वारुणं वरुणाद् अपि ॥
अस्त्रम् आग्नेयम् अग्नेश् च वायव्यं मातरिश्वनः ॥
वज्रादीनि तथास्त्राणि शक्राद् अहम् अवाप्तवान् ॥
धार्तराष्ट्रवनं घोरं नरसिंहाभिरक्षितम् ॥
अहम् उत्पाटयिष्यामि वैराटे व्येतु ते भयम् ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tato vaikartanaṃ jitvā pārtho vairāṭim abravīt ||
etan māṃ prāpayānīkaṃ yatra tālo hiraṇmayaḥ ||
atra śāṃtanavo bhīṣmo rathe 'smākaṃ pitāmahaḥ ||
kāṅkṣamāṇo mayā yuddhaṃ tiṣṭhaty amaradarśanaḥ ||
ādāsyāmy aham etasya dhanurjyām api cāhave ||
asyantaṃ divyam astraṃ māṃ citram adya niśāmaya ||
śatahradām ivāyāntīṃ stanayitnor ivāmbare ||
suvarṇapṛṣṭhaṃ gāṇḍīvaṃ drakṣyanti kuravo mama ||
dakṣiṇenātha vāmena katareṇa svid asyati ||
iti māṃ saṃgatāḥ sarve tarkayiṣyanti śatravaḥ ||
śoṇitodāṃ rathāvartāṃ nāganakrāṃ duratyayām ||
nadīṃ prasyandayiṣyāmi paralokapravāhinīm ||
pāṇipādaśiraḥpṛṣṭhabāhuśākhānirantaram ||
vanaṃ kurūṇāṃ chetsyāmi bhallaiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
jayataḥ kauravīṃ senām ekasya mama dhanvinaḥ ||
śataṃ mārgā bhaviṣyanti pāvakasyeva kānane ||
mayā cakram ivāviddhaṃ sainyaṃ drakṣyasi kevalam ||
asaṃbhrānto rathe tiṣṭha sameṣu viṣameṣu ca ||
divam āvṛtya tiṣṭhantaṃ giriṃ bhetsyāmi dhāribhiḥ ||
aham indrasya vacanāt saṃgrāme 'bhyahanaṃ purā ||
paulomān kālakhañjāṃś ca sahasrāṇi śatāni ca ||
aham indrād dṛḍhāṃ muṣṭiṃ brahmaṇaḥ kṛtahastatām ||
pragāḍhaṃ tumulaṃ citram atividdhaṃ prajāpateḥ ||
ahaṃ pāre samudrasya hiraṇyapuram ārujam ||
jitvā ṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi rathinām ugradhanvinām ||
dhvajavṛkṣaṃ pattitṛṇaṃ rathasiṃhagaṇāyutam ||
vanam ādīpayiṣyāmi kurūṇām astratejasā ||
tān ahaṃ rathanīḍebhyaḥ śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
ekaḥ saṃkālayiṣyāmi vajrapāṇir ivāsurān ||
raudraṃ rudrād ahaṃ hy astraṃ vāruṇaṃ varuṇād api ||
astram āgneyam agneś ca vāyavyaṃ mātariśvanaḥ ||
vajrādīni tathāstrāṇi śakrād aham avāptavān ||
dhārtarāṣṭravanaṃ ghoraṃ narasiṃhābhirakṣitam ||
aham utpāṭayiṣyāmi vairāṭe vyetu te bhayam ||
Arjuna said: "Now that Karna's son has been defeated, take me to where the golden palm-tree banner stands. There Bhishma, our grandfather, awaits me in his chariot, longing for battle -- he who has beheld the immortals themselves. I shall take up his bowstring's challenge this very day. Watch now, for you will see me loose divine weapons, wondrous as lightning bursting from the clouds like a hundred streams. The Kurus will see my gold-backed Gandiva and wonder among themselves whether I shoot with my right hand or my left. So my gathered enemies will puzzle over me. I shall set flowing a river of blood, its eddies made of chariots, its crocodiles made of elephants, a river impossible to cross, carrying men onward to the other world. With broad, close-jointed arrows I shall cut down the forest of the Kurus, dense with hands, feet, heads, backs and arms for its branches and boughs. As I alone conquer the Kaurava army, a hundred paths will open through it, as fire opens paths through a forest. You will see the enemy host struck through and through, as if pierced by a single wheel. Stand unshaken in your chariot, on level ground and on rough alike. I shall cleave with my arrows even a mountain standing so as to hide the sky. By Indra's command I once slew, in battle, hundreds and thousands of the Paulomas and the Kalakhanjas. From Indra I gained a firm grip, from Brahma and Prajapati a deep, tumultuous and wondrous skill of hand, piercing to the very depths. On the far shore of the ocean I broke open Hiranyapura, conquering sixty thousand fierce-bowed charioteers. With the fire of my weapons I shall set ablaze the forest of the Kurus -- its trees their banners, its grass their infantry, its lions its throngs of chariots. Alone, like Indra of the thunderbolt among the demons, I shall sweep them from their chariot-nests with close-jointed arrows. From Rudra I obtained the fearsome weapon that is his own, from Varuna the weapon of the waters, from Agni the weapon of fire, from Vayu the weapon of the wind, and from Shakra the thunderbolt and other such weapons. I shall now tear up the dread forest of Dhritarashtra's sons, guarded though it is by lions among men. Let your fear depart."
871ba955b1d7 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:42:56 PM UTC
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Arjuna lists his deeds not out of vanity but to establish grounds for trust. Uttara must understand: the chariot is guided not by some chance warrior, but by one whose strength is given through service to a higher order.