Arjuna Answers Yudhishthira

Verse 1 (5.194.1)

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु कौन्तेयः सर्वान्भ्रातॄनुपह्वरे । आहूय भरतश्रेष्ठ इदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

etacchrutvā tu kaunteyaḥ sarvānbhrātṝnupahvare | āhūya bharataśreṣṭha idaṃ vacanamabravīt

Hearing this, the son of Kunti called all his brothers together in private, O best of the Bharatas, and spoke these words:

Verse 2 (5.194.2)

धार्तराष्ट्रस्य सैन्येषु ये चारपुरुषा मम । ते प्रवृत्तिं प्रयच्छन्ति ममेमां व्युषितां निशाम् ॥

dhārtarāṣṭrasya sainyeṣu ye cārapuruṣā mama | te pravṛttiṃ prayacchanti mamemāṃ vyuṣitāṃ niśām

"The spies I keep in the armies of Dhritarashtra's son brought me news this morning, as the night ended.

Verse 3 (5.194.3)

दुर्योधनः किलापृच्छदापगेयं महाव्रतम् । केन कालेन पाण्डूनां हन्याः सैन्यमिति प्रभो ॥

duryodhanaḥ kilāpṛcchadāpageyaṃ mahāvratam | kena kālena pāṇḍūnāṃ hanyāḥ sainyamiti prabho

Duryodhana, it seems, asked the son of the river, the keeper of the great vow, "In what time could you destroy the army of the Pandus, my lord?"

Verse 4 (5.194.4)

मासेनेति च तेनोक्तो धार्तराष्ट्रः सुदुर्मतिः । तावता चापि कालेन द्रोणोऽपि प्रतिजज्ञिवान् ॥

māseneti ca tenokto dhārtarāṣṭraḥ sudurmatiḥ | tāvatā cāpi kālena droṇo'pi pratijajñivān

"In a month," that most wicked son of Dhritarashtra was told; and Drona too pledged the same time.

Note on the text: Corrected द्रोणोपि → द्रोणोऽपि (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha).

Verse 5 (5.194.5)

गौतमो द्विगुणं कालमुक्तवानिति नः श्रुतम् । द्रौणिस्तु दशरात्रेण प्रतिजज्ञे महास्त्रवित् ॥

gautamo dviguṇaṃ kālamuktavāniti naḥ śrutam | drauṇistu daśarātreṇa pratijajñe mahāstravit

Gautama named twice that time, so we hear, and Drona's son, master of great weapons, pledged ten nights.

Verse 6 (5.194.6)

तथा दिव्यास्त्रवित्कर्णः संपृष्टः कुरुसंसदि । पञ्चभिर्दिवसैर्हन्तुं ससैन्यं प्रतिजज्ञिवान् ॥

tathā divyāstravitkarṇaḥ saṃpṛṣṭaḥ kurusaṃsadi | pañcabhirdivasairhantuṃ sasainyaṃ pratijajñivān

And Karna, who knows the celestial weapons, when asked in the Kuru assembly, pledged to destroy us with all our troops in five days.

Verse 7 (5.194.7)

तस्मादहमपीच्छामि श्रोतुमर्जुन ते वचः । कालेन कियता शत्रून्क्षपयेरिति फाल्गुन ॥

tasmādahamapīcchāmi śrotumarjuna te vacaḥ | kālena kiyatā śatrūnkṣapayeriti phālguna

So I too wish to hear your word, Arjuna: in how long could you destroy our enemies in battle, Phalguna?"

Verse 8 (5.194.8)

एवमुक्तो गुडाकेशः पार्थिवेन धनञ्जयः । वासुदेवं समीक्ष्येदं वचनं प्रत्यभाषत ॥

evamukto guḍākeśaḥ pārthivena dhanañjayaḥ | vāsudevaṃ samīkṣyedaṃ vacanaṃ pratyabhāṣata

Thus addressed by the king, Gudakesha Dhananjaya looked at Vasudeva and made this reply:

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from युधिष्ठिर (carried over) to वैशम्पायन: this verse is narration, not part of Yudhishthira's question.

Verse 9 (5.194.9)

सर्व एते महात्मानः कृतास्त्राश्चित्रयोधिनः । असंशयं महाराज हन्युरेव न संशयः ॥

sarva ete mahātmānaḥ kṛtāstrāścitrayodhinaḥ | asaṃśayaṃ mahārāja hanyureva na saṃśayaḥ

"All these are great-souled men, skilled in weapons and brilliant fighters. Without doubt, great king, they could do the slaying; there is no question of it.

Note on the text: Arjuna's reply has no printed heading; it fills this and the following verses.

Verse 10 (5.194.10)

अपैतु ते मनस्तापो यथा सत्यं ब्रवीम्यहम् । हन्यामेकरथेनैव वासुदेवसहायवान् ॥

apaitu te manastāpo yathā satyaṃ bravīmyaham | hanyāmekarathenaiva vāsudevasahāyavān

But let the anguish leave your mind; I tell you the truth. With a single chariot, with Vasudeva as my ally, I could destroy

Verse 11 (5.194.11)

सामरानपि लोकांस्त्रीन्सर्वान्स्थावरजङ्गमान् । भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं च निमेषादिति मे मतिः ॥

sāmarānapi lokāṃstrīnsarvānsthāvarajaṅgamān | bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ ca nimeṣāditi me matiḥ

the three worlds, gods and all, with everything that moves and does not move, past, present and future, in the twinkling of an eye. That is what I believe.

Verse 12 (5.194.12)

यावदिच्छेद्धरिरयं तावदस्ति न चान्यथा । यत्तद्धोरं पशुपतिः प्रादादस्त्रं महन्मम । कैराते द्वन्द्वयुद्धे तु तदिदं मयि वर्तते ॥

yāvadiccheddharirayaṃ tāvadasti na cānyathā | yattaddhoraṃ paśupatiḥ prādādastraṃ mahanmama | kairāte dvandvayuddhe tu tadidaṃ mayi vartate

For as long as Hari here wills it, so long it is, and not otherwise. That terrible and mighty weapon which Pashupati gave me in the single combat with the Kirata, that lives in me.

Note on the text: Removed the wiki backtick and quote marks around line 1. Line 1 is the critical edition's star passage 5.195.11d*0591_01, printed there after 5.195.11 (here, by the page's own row and verse-end mark, it opens verse 12); lines 2–3 match CE 5.195.12 (listed among the unmatched critical-edition verses).

Verse 13 (5.194.13)

यद्युगान्ते पशुपतिः सर्वभूतानि संहरन् । प्रयुङ्क्ते पुरुषव्याघ्र तदिदं मयि वर्तते ॥

yadyugānte paśupatiḥ sarvabhūtāni saṃharan | prayuṅkte puruṣavyāghra tadidaṃ mayi vartate

The weapon that Pashupati wields at the end of the age when he destroys all beings, tiger among men, that lives in me.

Verse 14 (5.194.14)

तन्न जानाति गाङ्गेयो न द्रोणो न च गौतमः । न च द्रोणसुतो राजन्कुत एव तु सूतजः ॥

tanna jānāti gāṅgeyo na droṇo na ca gautamaḥ | na ca droṇasuto rājankuta eva tu sūtajaḥ

The son of Ganga does not know it, nor Drona, nor Gautama, nor Drona's son, O king; how then could the charioteer's son?

Verse 15 (5.194.15)

न तु युक्तं रणे हन्तुं दिव्यैरस्त्रैः पृथग्जनम् । आर्जवेनैव युद्धेन विजेष्यामो वयं परान् ॥

na tu yuktaṃ raṇe hantuṃ divyairastraiḥ pṛthagjanam | ārjavenaiva yuddhena vijeṣyāmo vayaṃ parān

But it is not right to kill ordinary men in battle with celestial weapons. We shall conquer our enemies by fair and straight fighting.

Verse 16 (5.194.16)

तथेमे पुरुषव्याघ्राः सहायास्तव पार्थिव । सर्वे दिव्यास्त्रविद्वांसः सर्वे युद्धाभिकाङ्क्षिणः ॥

tatheme puruṣavyāghrāḥ sahāyāstava pārthiva | sarve divyāstravidvāṃsaḥ sarve yuddhābhikāṅkṣiṇaḥ

And these tigers among men, your allies, O king, all know the celestial weapons and all are eager for battle.

Verse 17 (5.194.17)

वेदान्तावभृथस्नाताः सर्व एतेऽपराजिताः । निहन्युः समरे सेनां देवानामपि पाण्डव ॥

vedāntāvabhṛthasnātāḥ sarva ete'parājitāḥ | nihanyuḥ samare senāṃ devānāmapi pāṇḍava

All have taken the bath that closes the study of the Vedas, and none of them has been defeated. They could destroy in battle even the army of the gods, son of Pandu:

Verse 18 (5.194.18)

शिखण्डी युयुधानश्च धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्षतः । भीमसेनो यमौ चोभौ युधामन्यूत्तमौजसौ ॥

śikhaṇḍī yuyudhānaśca dhṛṣṭadyumnaśca pārṣataḥ | bhīmaseno yamau cobhau yudhāmanyūttamaujasau

Shikhandi, Yuyudhana, Dhrishtadyumna son of Prishata, Bhimasena, the twins, Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas,

Verse 19 (5.194.19)

विराटद्रुपदौ चोभौ भीष्मद्रोणसमौ युधि । शङ्खश्चैव महाबाहुर्हैडिम्बश्च महाबलः ॥

virāṭadrupadau cobhau bhīṣmadroṇasamau yudhi | śaṅkhaścaiva mahābāhurhaiḍimbaśca mahābalaḥ

Virata and Drupada, both equal to Bhishma and Drona in battle, the mighty-armed Shankha, and the mighty Haidimba (Ghatotkacha),

Note on the text: Line 1 is CE 5.195.19a (listed among the unmatched critical-edition verses); line 2 is the critical edition's star passage 5.195.19b*0593_01 (not in its constituted text).

Verse 20 (5.194.20)

पुत्रोऽस्याञ्जनपर्वा तु महाबलपराक्रमः । शैनेयश्च महाबाहुः सहायो रणकोविदः ॥

putro'syāñjanaparvā tu mahābalaparākramaḥ | śaineyaśca mahābāhuḥ sahāyo raṇakovidaḥ

his son Anjanaparvan, of great strength and valour, and the mighty-armed Shaineya (Satyaki), an ally skilled in war,

Note on the text: Corrected रणकेविदः → रणकोविदः (misprint in Wikisource; ए-sign for ओ-sign, as the critical edition raṇakovidaḥ). Not in the critical edition's constituted text: both lines are its star passage 5.195.19b*0593_02–03.

Verse 21 (5.194.21)

अभिमन्युश्च बलवान्द्रौपद्याः पञ्च चात्मजाः । स्वयं चापि समर्थोऽसि त्रैलोक्योत्सादनेऽपि च ॥

abhimanyuśca balavāndraupadyāḥ pañca cātmajāḥ | svayaṃ cāpi samartho'si trailokyotsādane'pi ca

the strong Abhimanyu, and the five sons of Draupadi. And you yourself are able to lay waste even the three worlds.

Note on the text: Corrected समर्थोसि → समर्थोऽसि and त्रेलोक्योत्सादनेपि → त्रैलोक्योत्सादनेऽपि (misprints in Wikisource; missing avagrahas and ए-sign for ऐ-sign, as the critical edition samartho 'si trailokyotsādane api). Line 1 is the star passage 5.195.19b*0593_04; line 2 is CE 5.195.19c.

Verse 22 (5.194.22)

क्रोधाद्यं पुरुषं पश्येस्तथा शक्रसमद्युते । स क्षिप्रं न भवेद्व्यक्तमिति त्वां वेद्मि कौरव ॥

krodhādyaṃ puruṣaṃ paśyestathā śakrasamadyute | sa kṣipraṃ na bhavedvyaktamiti tvāṃ vedmi kaurava

Whatever man you look upon in anger, you whose splendour equals Shakra's, he would surely cease to be at once. This I know of you, Kaurava."

Note on the text: Separated नभवेद् → न भवेद् (word-division slip in Wikisource). पश्येस्तथा शक्रसमद्युते (CE paśyes tvaṃ vāsavasamadyute) kept as a variant.