Shloka 65
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
सूच्यग्रं नात्यज: पूर्व स कथं त्यजसि क्षितिम् | एवमैश्वर्यमासाद्य प्रशास्यथ पृथिवीमिमाम्
sūcyagraṁ nātyajaḥ pūrvaṁ sa kathaṁ tyajasi kṣitim | evamaiśvaryam āsādya praśāsyatha pṛthivīm imām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Einst gabst du nicht einmal die Spitze einer Nadel preis; wie kannst du nun die Erde selbst preisgeben? Da du eine solche Herrschaft erlangt hast, sollst du eben diese Welt regieren und schützen.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts petty attachment with the weightier duty of governance: one who once clung to the smallest possession should not, after attaining sovereignty, abandon the larger responsibility of ruling the earth. It underscores rājadharma—ethical kingship as an obligation, not merely a privilege.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a person inclined to give up or withdraw from ruling, challenging the inconsistency: earlier they would not relinquish even something as small as a needle’s tip, yet now they propose to renounce the entire kingdom/world. He urges them to accept and exercise authority by governing the earth.