Shloka 3
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
वासुदेवमिदं वाक्यमब्रवीत् कुरुनन्दन: । पश्येमां धार्तराष्ट्रेण मायामप्सु प्रयोजिताम्,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! द्वैपायन-कुण्डपर पहुँचकर युधिष्ठिरने देखा कि दुर्योधनने इस जलाशयके जलको स्तम्भित कर दिया है। यह देखकर कुरुनन्दन युधिष्ठिरने भगवान् वासुदेवसे इस प्रकार कहा--'प्रभो! देखिये तो सही, दुर्योधनने जलके भीतर इस मायाका कैसा प्रयोग किया है?
sañjaya uvāca | vāsudevam idaṃ vākyam abravīt kurunandanaḥ | paśyemāṃ dhārtarāṣṭreṇa māyām apsu prayojitām, kuruśreṣṭha |
Sañjaya sprach: Da sagte der Stolz der Kurus (Yudhiṣṭhira) zu Vāsudeva: „Sieh nur – welche māyā Duryodhana, der Sohn Dhṛtarāṣṭras, in den Wassern angewandt hat!“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical need for clear discernment when confronted with deception (māyā). Yudhiṣṭhira’s instinct is not to react blindly but to seek Kṛṣṇa’s guidance, modeling dharmic leadership that recognizes trickery and responds with steadiness and insight.
In the Shalya Parva context of the final conflict, Yudhiṣṭhira notices that Duryodhana has used a deceptive contrivance connected with the waters (a hidden/illusory arrangement in a lake or pond). He points it out to Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), asking him to observe the stratagem.