Shloka 29
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
स त्वमुत्तिष्ठ युध्यस्व विनीय भयमात्मन: । घातयित्वा सर्वसैन्यं भ्रातृश्वैव सुयोधन,“अतः तुम अपना भय दूर करके उठो और युद्ध करो। सुयोधन! भाइयों तथा सम्पूर्ण सेनाको मरवाकर क्षत्रियधर्मका आश्रय लिये हुए तुम्हारे-जैसे पुरुषको धर्मसम्पादनकी इच्छासे इस समय केवल अपनी जान बचानेका विचार नहीं करना चाहिये
sa tvam uttiṣṭha yudhyasva vinīya bhayam ātmanaḥ | ghātayitvā sarvasainyaṃ bhrātṝś caiva suyodhana ||
Sañjaya said: “Therefore, rise up and fight, having cast away fear from your own heart. O Suyodhana, after causing the slaughter of your brothers and the entire host, it is not fitting for a man like you—who has taken refuge in the kṣatriya code—to think now only of saving your life under the pretext of ‘doing what is right.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya must not succumb to fear or seek self-preservation after initiating catastrophic violence; one must face the consequences of one’s chosen path and uphold the warrior’s duty with courage and responsibility.
Sañjaya reports an exhortation directed at Suyodhana (Duryodhana): he is urged to rise and fight, abandon fear, and not retreat into a late claim of righteousness after having already brought about the destruction of brothers and armies.