सामरान् अपि लोकांस् त्रीन् सहस्थावरजङ्गमान् ॥
भूतं भव्यं भविष्यच् च निमेषाद् इति मे मतिः ॥
यत् तद् घोरं पशुपतिः प्रादाद् अस्त्रं महन् मम ॥
कैराते द्वन्द्वयुद्धे वै तद् इदं मयि वर्तते ॥
यद् युगान्ते पशुपतिः सर्वभूतानि संहरन् ॥
प्रयुङ्क्ते पुरुषव्याघ्र तद् इदं मयि वर्तते ॥
तन् न जानाति गाङ्गेयो न द्रोणो न च गौतमः ॥
न च द्रोणसुतो राजन् कुत एव तु सूतजः ॥
न तु युक्तं रणे हन्तुं दिव्यैर् अस्त्रैः पृथग्जनम् ॥
आर्जवेनैव युद्धेन विजेष्यामो वयं परान् ॥
sāmarān api lokāṃs trīn sahasthāvarajaṅgamān ||
bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhaviṣyac ca nimeṣād iti me matiḥ ||
yat tad ghoraṃ paśupatiḥ prādād astraṃ mahan mama ||
kairāte dvandvayuddhe vai tad idaṃ mayi vartate ||
yad yugānte paśupatiḥ sarvabhūtāni saṃharan ||
prayuṅkte puruṣavyāghra tad idaṃ mayi vartate ||
tan na jānāti gāṅgeyo na droṇo na ca gautamaḥ ||
na ca droṇasuto rājan kuta eva tu sūtajaḥ ||
na tu yuktaṃ raṇe hantuṃ divyair astraiḥ pṛthagjanam ||
ārjavenaiva yuddhena vijeṣyāmo vayaṃ parān ||
"Even the three worlds together with the gods, with all that is fixed and moving, past, future, and to come, I could destroy in an instant -- such is my thought. That terrible, great weapon which Pashupati gave me in single combat, appearing in the form of a hunter, abides within me. That same weapon which Pashupati wields at the end of the age, destroying all beings, abides within me, O tiger among men. Neither the son of Ganga knows this, nor Drona, nor Gautama, nor the son of Drona, O king -- still less the son of a charioteer. Yet it is not fitting to kill common soldiers in battle with divine weapons. We shall conquer our foes by honest fighting alone."
8ff3b5d0f8fa · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:41:26 AM UTC
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This chapter reveals a different kind of confidence: not Karna's boasting, but Arjuna's quiet knowledge of his own strength and of the limits within which it should be used. He acknowledges the might of Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthaman, and Karna, yet points to the Pashupata weapon received from Shiva as a power that surpasses ordinary warfare. Even so, Arjuna has no intention of turning divine weapons against common soldiers: victory must be won by honest battle. Here the dharma of the warrior comes into view -- one who wields destructive power yet does not let it override his conscience.