यः स सौवीरराजस्य प्रमथ्य महतीं चमूम् ॥
आदत्त महिषीं भोज्यां काम्यां सर्वाङ्गशोभनाम् ॥
सत्यं धृतिश् च शौर्यं च ब्रह्मचर्यं च केवलम् ॥
सर्वाणि युयुधाने ऽस्मिन् नित्यानि पुरुषर्षभे ॥
बलिनं सत्यकर्माणम् अदीनम् अपराजितम् ॥
वासुदेवसमं युद्धे वासुदेवाद् अनन्तरम् ॥
युक्तं धनंजयप्रेष्ये शूरम् आचार्यकर्मणि ॥
पार्थेन समम् अस्त्रेषु कस् तं द्रोणाद् अवारयत् ॥
yaḥ sa sauvīrarājasya pramathya mahatīṃ camūm ||
ādatta mahiṣīṃ bhojyāṃ kāmyāṃ sarvāṅgaśobhanām ||
satyaṃ dhṛtiś ca śauryaṃ ca brahmacaryaṃ ca kevalam ||
sarvāṇi yuyudhāne 'smin nityāni puruṣarṣabhe ||
balinaṃ satyakarmāṇam adīnam aparājitam ||
vāsudevasamaṃ yuddhe vāsudevād anantaram ||
yuktaṃ dhanaṃjayapreṣye śūram ācāryakarmaṇi ||
pārthena samam astreṣu kas taṃ droṇād avārayat ||
He who, having crushed the great host of the king of Sauvira, carried off [his] queen -- the desirable, perfectly formed Bhoja princess -- [that Satyaki]; in whom truth, firmness, courage, and unmixed chastity all abide unchanging, in this Yuyudhana [Satyaki], bull among men; mighty, faithful in his deeds, unshaken, unconquered, equal in battle to Vasudeva [Krishna and] standing next [only] to Vasudeva, devoted to the service of Dhananjaya [Arjuna], a hero skilled in the craft of a war-teacher, equal to Partha [Arjuna] in mastery of weapons -- who then held him back from Drona?
85cc59d27080 · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Satyaki is praised above many others -- 'equal to Vasudeva in battle, standing next only to him'; yet this very comparison points to a hierarchy whose summit is Krishna: all valor is measured by nearness to Him. It is telling that among his virtues chastity (brahmacarya) is called 'unmixed': even a fearsome warrior is great through purity, not through strength alone. And he is 'devoted to the service of Arjuna' -- his greatness lies not in self-assertion but in service. The verse teaches that the measure of all greatness is nearness to the Lord; that valor crowned with purity surpasses bare valor; and that the true hero places his glory not in dominance but in service to one greater than himself.