Shloka 17
विराटसभायां पाण्डवानां प्रवेशः — Arjuna’s Encomium of Yudhiṣṭhira in Virāṭa’s Court
मोघं तवेदं भुवि नामधेयं दुर्योधनेतीह कृतं पुरस्तात् | न हीह दुर्योधनता तवास्ति पलायमानस्य रणं विहाय
moghaṁ tavedaṁ bhuvi nāmadheyaṁ duryodhanetīha kṛtaṁ purastāt | na hīha duryodhanatā tavāsti palāyamānasya raṇaṁ vihāya ||
Arjuna sprach: „Dein Name auf dieser Erde — ‚Duryodhana‘ — wurde einst vergeblich verliehen. Denn du zeigst nichts von der unbeugsamen Trotzhaftigkeit, die der Name verheißt: Du verlässt die Schlacht und fliehst vom Feld.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A warrior’s worth is measured by conduct aligned with dharma—steadfastness and responsibility in battle. Arjuna argues that a celebrated name is meaningless if one’s actions contradict the virtue it signifies.
In the Virata episode’s battle context, Arjuna taunts Duryodhana for retreating from combat, declaring that the epithet ‘Duryodhana’ is undeserved because Duryodhana is abandoning the fight and fleeing.