Shloka 40
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
मनुष्यलोकक्षयकृत् सुघोरो नो चेदनुप्राप्त इहान्तकः स्यात् | शस्त्राणि यन्त्र कवचान् रथांश्व नागान् हयांश्व प्रतिपादयित्वा
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | manuṣyalokakṣayakṛt sughoro no ced anuprāpta ihāntakaḥ syāt | śastrāṇi yantra-kavacān rathāśva-nāgān hayāṃś ca pratipādayitvā |
Wenn jener überaus schreckliche Tod—der der Menschenwelt Verderben bringt—nicht bereits hierher nahe gekommen wäre, sähe man solche Rüstungen nicht. Darum, o König, sollen all deine Krieger, fest zum Kampf entschlossen, die mannigfachen Waffen, Kriegsgeräte, Panzer, Wagen, Elefanten und Pferde gehörig ausrüsten; sie sollen Elefanten, Pferde und Streitwagen besteigen und stets kampfbereit bleiben. Zudem sammle vollständig alles weitere, was für die Führung des Krieges erforderlich ist.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war-preparation as a sober recognition of mortality and political necessity: when ‘Death’ is near, a ruler must ensure disciplined readiness and adequate resources, while implying the grave ethical weight of conflict.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king (narēndra) and urges comprehensive military mobilization—arming troops, preparing war-machines, armor, chariots, elephants, and horses, and collecting all needed supplies—because the situation has reached a point where destructive conflict appears unavoidable.