Mahabharata 9.31.33 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 31, Shloka 33
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
क्व ते तत् पौरुषं यातं क्व च मान: सुयोधन । क्व च विक्रान्तता याता कक््व च विस्फूर्जितं महत्
sañjaya uvāca | kva te tat pauruṣaṃ yātaṃ kva ca mānaḥ suyodhana | kva ca vikrāntatā yātā kva ca visphūrjitaṃ mahat |
Sañjaya said: “O Suyodhana, where has that manly valor of yours gone? Where is your pride now? Where has your heroism departed, and where is that great roaring and bluster? (And where has your knowledge of weapons gone?) How can you be sleeping in this lake at such a time? O scion of Bharata, rise and fight in accordance with the duty of a kṣatriya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior must not abandon courage and responsibility in crisis. It also critiques hollow pride and mere boasting, insisting that true honor is shown through steadfast action aligned with duty.
Sañjaya reports a sharp rebuke directed at Suyodhana (Duryodhana), who is hiding/resting in a lake after setbacks. The speaker taunts him by contrasting his former bravado with his present withdrawal, urging him to rise and fight as a kṣatriya.
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