Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
केकयै: सृग्जयैर्दप्तं पञ्चालैश्व महात्मभि: । राजन्! तदनन्तर दुर्योधनने अमितपराक्रमी बलराम, महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण, महामनस्वी पांचाल, संजय, केकयगण तथा अपने भाइयोंके साथ खड़े हुए अभिमानी युधिष्ठिरसे इस प्रकार गर्वयुक्त वचन कहा-- ।।
kekayaiḥ sṛñjayair daptaṃ pañcālaiś ca mahātmabhiḥ | rājan tad-anantaraṃ duryodhanena amitaparākramī balarāmaḥ mahātmā śrīkṛṣṇaḥ mahāmanasvī pāñcālaḥ sañjayaḥ kekayagaṇaḥ tathā svabhrātṛbhiḥ saha tiṣṭhataḥ abhīmāninā yudhiṣṭhirena etad-vidhaṃ garvayuktaṃ vacanaṃ uktam || idaṃ vyavasitaṃ yuddhaṃ mama bhīmasya cobhayoḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O König, nachdem die Kekayas, die Sṛñjayas und die großherzigen Pāñcālas zu kämpferischem Eifer entflammt worden waren, sprach der stolze Yudhiṣṭhira—stehend bei Balarāma von unermesslicher Tapferkeit, beim großgesinnten Śrī Kṛṣṇa, bei den hochgemuten Führern der Pāñcālas, bei Sañjaya, dem Heer der Kekayas und seinen eigenen Brüdern—diese prahlerischen Worte: ‚Dieser Kampf ist fest beschlossen—zwischen Bhīma und mir, für uns beide.‘“
संजय उवाच
The passage highlights how pride and boastful resolve can color even a righteous cause: in war, determination (vyavasāya) must be governed by dharma and restraint, otherwise it becomes mere ego-driven rivalry.
Sañjaya reports that, amid the assembled allies (Kekayas, Sṛñjayas, Pāñcālas) and notable figures like Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, Yudhiṣṭhira—described as proud—declares that a decisive fight has been settled between himself and Bhīma.