Shloka 98
मैं तुमसे यह सच कहता हूँ कि तुम्हारे बाणोंके मार्गमें इन्द्रसहित सम्पूर्ण देवता भी नहीं ठहर सकते; फिर कुन्तीके पुत्रों और पांचालोंकी तो बिसात ही कया है? ।। नत्वां समर्था: संग्रामे पाण्डवा: सह सोमकै: । बलाद् योधयितुं वीर सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,वीर! सोमकोंसहित पाण्डव संग्राममें तुम्हारे साथ बलपूर्वक युद्ध करनेमें समर्थ नहीं हैं। यह मैं तुमसे सत्य कहता हूँ
satyaṃ te ’haṃ bravīmi—tava bāṇamārge indrasahitaḥ sarvo ’pi devagaṇaḥ sthātuṃ na śaknoti; punaḥ kuntīputrāḥ pāñcālāś ca kiṃ śaktayaḥ? na tvāṃ samarthāḥ saṅgrāme pāṇḍavāḥ saha somakaiḥ; balād yodhayituṃ vīra, satyam etad bravīmi te.
Duryodhana declares to his warrior that he speaks the truth: even the gods, Indra included, could not stand firm in the path of his arrows—so what chance have the sons of Kuntī and the Pāñcālas? He insists that the Pāṇḍavas, even with the Somakas, are not capable of forcing a battle against him. The speech is martial praise meant to harden resolve and project inevitability.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how wartime rhetoric uses claims of ‘truth’ and exaggerated comparisons (even the gods cannot withstand you) to manufacture certainty and courage. Ethically, it warns that pride and intimidation can masquerade as moral clarity, pushing leaders to persist in destructive choices.
In the Drona Parva’s battle setting, Duryodhana addresses a warrior on his side, praising his prowess and asserting that the Pāṇḍavas with their allies (Pāñcālas/Somakas) cannot forcibly engage him. The intent is to embolden his fighter and project dominance over the opposing coalition.