Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 66
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
भ्रातृणां भवतामेको युध्यतां गदया मया । सहदेवेन वा योत्स्ये भीमेन नकुलेन वा
bhrātṝṇāṁ bhavatām eko yudhyatāṁ gadayā mayā | sahadevena vā yotsye bhīmena nakulena vā ||
Sañjaya said: “Let any one among your brothers come forth to fight me with the mace. I am ready to engage—whether it be Sahadeva, or Bhīma, or Nakula.” In the charged ethics of single combat, the speaker issues a pointed challenge that both tests valor and seeks to shape the battle into a controlled duel rather than indiscriminate slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of regulated combat—calling for a single opponent and a defined weapon (the mace). It frames courage and accountability in battle, implying that even amid war there are norms meant to restrain chaos and focus conflict into honorable duels.
A challenge is proclaimed: one of the brothers is invited to face the challenger in a mace duel. Specific Pandava brothers—Sahadeva, Bhīma, and Nakula—are named as possible opponents, intensifying the confrontation and steering the encounter toward a decisive one-on-one fight.
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