Shloka 283
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
शस्त्रैविनिहता यत्र क्षिप्ता: स्युर्बलवत्तरा: । संतुष्ट हुए ब्रह्माजीसे उसने यह वर माँगा कि “हमारे पुरोंमें एक-एक ऐसी बावड़ी हो जाय, जिसके भीतर डाल दिये जानेपर शस्त्रोंके आघातसे मरे हुए दैत्य वीर और भी प्रबल होकर जीवित हो उठें”
śastrair vinihatā yatra kṣiptāḥ syur balavattarāḥ | santuṣṭaḥ sa brahmājīse ’sne varaṁ māṁgā ki “hamāre puroṁ meṁ eka-eka aisī bāvaṛī ho jāya, jisake bhītar ḍāl diye jāne par śastroṁ ke āghāt se mare hue daitya-vīra aur bhī prabala hokar jīvita ho uṭheṁ”
Duryodhana describes a boon obtained from Brahmā: that within their fortified cities there should be a well-like reservoir such that, if mighty Daitya warriors—slain by the blows of weapons—are cast into it, they would rise again to life, returning even stronger than before.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights an ethical inversion in war: seeking supernatural means to negate death and amplify violence reflects attachment to power and victory at any cost, contrasting with the Mahābhārata’s broader concern for dharma and the limits of righteous conduct in battle.
Duryodhana recounts a boon connected with Brahmā: a special well/reservoir in their cities where fallen Daitya heroes, if thrown in after being slain by weapons, would revive and become even stronger—an attempt to secure an unfair, self-renewing military advantage.