Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 51
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
स मेघनिनदो हर्षन्नर्दन्निव च गोवृष: । आजुहाव ततः: पार्थान् गदया युधि वीर्यवान्
sa meghaninado harṣan nardann iva ca govṛṣaḥ | ājuhāva tataḥ pārthān gadayā yudhi vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: Rejoicing, that mighty warrior bellowed like a bull, his roar deep as thunderclouds, and then he challenged the Pāṇḍava princes to meet him in battle with the mace. The scene underscores how martial pride and the thirst for single-combat glory intensify the violence of war, even as each side seeks honor within the harsh code of kṣatriya duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos where public challenge and personal valor are treated as measures of honor; ethically, it also hints at how exhilaration and pride can fuel further bloodshed, even when framed as ‘duty’ in war.
A powerful warrior, roaring like thunder and a bull, joyfully issues a battlefield challenge to the Pāṇḍavas, specifically calling them to engage in mace-combat.
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