Shloka 61
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
अभियुक्तस्तु को राजा दातुमिच्छेद्धि मेदिनीम्,जो शत्रुओंसे आक्रान्त हो, ऐसा कौन राजा किसीको भूमि देनेकी इच्छा करेगा? कौरवनन्दन नरेश! अब न तो तुम किसीको पृथ्वी दे सकते हो और न बलपूर्वक उसे छीन ही सकते हो। ऐसी दशामें तुम्हें भूमि देनेकी इच्छा कैसे हो गयी?
abhiyuktas tu ko rājā dātum icched dhi medinīm | yo śatrūbhiḥ saṃkrāntaḥ syāt—sa kathaṃ bhūmiṃ dadātum icchet || kauravanandana nareśa! adhunā na tvaṃ kasyacid pṛthivīṃ dātuṃ śaknoṣi, na ca balāt parasyāḥ hartuṃ śaknoṣi | evaṃ sthite kathaṃ te bhūmidāne icchā samutpannā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “What king, when hard-pressed and overrun by enemies, would even wish to give away the earth? O descendant of the Kurus, O king—now you can neither grant the kingdom to anyone, nor can you seize it by force. In such a condition, how has the desire to ‘give land’ arisen in you at all?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira highlights an ethical-political principle: a ruler’s promises about territory must match actual authority and responsibility. When a king is overwhelmed and lacks control, offering land becomes empty rhetoric; dharma in governance requires truthfulness, capacity, and legitimacy rather than performative generosity.
In the Shalya Parva context of the war’s later phase, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Kaurava ruler/prince, challenging the plausibility of his stated willingness to grant land. He argues that being besieged by enemies leaves no real power either to bestow territory or to seize it, so the sudden talk of ‘giving land’ is inconsistent with the situation.