Shloka 49
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
सुहृदस्तादृशान् हित्वा पुत्रान् भ्रातृन् पितृनपि । भवद्धिश्व ह्वते राज्ये को नु जीवेत मादृश:,वैसे हितैषी सुहृदों, पुत्रों, भाइयों और पिताओंको छोड़कर तुमलोगोंके द्वारा राज्यका अपहरण हो जानेपर कौन मेरे-जैसा पुरुष जीवित रहेगा?
suhṛdas tādṛśān hitvā putrān bhrātṝn pitṝn api | bhavadbhiś ca hṛte rājye ko nu jīvet mādṛśaḥ ||
قال دوريوذانا: «إذا تخلّيتُ عن أصدقاء كهؤلاء من ذوي الودّ الصادق—ومعهم الأبناء والإخوة بل والآباء أيضًا—ثم انتُزع الملك على أيديكم، فمَن ذا الذي يبقى حيًّا، رجلًا مثلي؟»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to sovereignty and honor can make life feel impossible after defeat, especially when the loss is inflicted by one’s own kin. It raises an ethical tension: whether life’s value should depend on power and status, and how pride and wounded honor can drive destructive resolve.
In the Shalya Parva context, Duryodhana speaks from a position of crisis and humiliation, lamenting that if the kingdom is seized by the opposing side (addressed as “you”), then even abandoning friends and family would not make survival meaningful for him. It expresses his despair and his fixation on kingship as the basis of his identity.