Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 553

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

द्विषतो भीमसेनस्य वशमेष्यथ विद्रुता: । “जितने क्षत्रिय यहाँ आये हैं वे सब सुनें--“तुमलोग भागनेपर अपने शत्रु भीमसेनके अधीन हो जाओगे

Transliteration

dviṣato bhīmasenasya vaśam eṣyatha vidrutāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “If you flee in panic, you will fall under the power of your enemy Bhīmasena.” It is a stern warning of war: cowardly retreat preserves neither freedom nor honor; it yields initiative and control to the foe, and thus becomes an ethical self-defeat for a kṣatriya in battle.

Word by Word

• द्विषतः: of the hating one / of the enemy
• द्विषतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विष् (शत्रुता/द्वेष)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• भीमसेनस्य: of Bhimasena
• भीमसेनस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वशम्: control, subjection
• वशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एष्यथ: you (all) will go/come (into)
• एष्यथ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (गमन)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Second, Plural, Parasmaipada

• विद्रुताः: having fled, fleeing
• विद्रुताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्रुत (वि + द्रु, past passive participle)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Fear-driven flight in battle leads to loss of agency and honor; for a warrior, abandoning steadfastness results in subjection to the enemy’s power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a warning directed at warriors: if they break ranks and flee, they will inevitably come under Bhīmasena’s domination—implying Bhīma’s strength and the tactical peril of retreat.