Shloka 16
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
एतावत् पाण्डवानां हि नास्ति किंचिदिह स्वकम् । नामधेयं च गोत्र च तदप्येषां न शिष्यते
etāvat pāṇḍavānāṃ hi nāsti kiṃcid iha svakam | nāmadheyaṃ ca gotraṃ ca tad apy eṣāṃ na śiṣyate ||
Wahrlich, die Pāṇḍavas besitzen nun hier nichts mehr, was sie ihr Eigen nennen könnten. Selbst ihr Name und ihre Abstammung—auch das, so prahlt er, werde ihnen nicht verbleiben. In dieser Zeile ruft Yudhiṣṭhira die grausame, jubelnde Stichelei Duryodhanas in Erinnerung: aufgebläht von falschem Selbstlob, suchte er sie zu verwunden, indem er verkündete, man habe ihnen jede rechtmäßige Stellung genommen und werde sie sogar in ihrer Identität auslöschen.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical violence of arrogant speech: to deny others even the right to identity (name and lineage) is a form of dehumanizing cruelty. It frames Duryodhana’s taunt as adharma—pride and mockery that deepen enmity and make reconciliation harder.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira recalls Duryodhana’s earlier gloating after the Pāṇḍavas were dispossessed, quoting the insult that they had nothing left to call their own—only name and clan, and even that would be destroyed. The recollection underscores why the Pāṇḍavas view the Kaurava stance as hostile and unjust.