Shloka 69
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
संशय: सर्वभूतानां विजये नौ भविष्यति । राजन! मेरे और तुम्हारे दोनोंके जीते-जी हमारी विजयके विषयमें समस्त प्राणियोंको संदेह बना रहेगा ।। जीवितं तव दुष्प्रज्ञ मयि सम्प्रति वर्तते
saṁśayaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ vijaye nau bhaviṣyati | rājan! mama ca tava cobhayor jīvatoh jīvatāṁ vijayaviṣaye samastaprāṇināṁ saṁśayo bhaviṣyati || jīvitaṁ tava duṣprajña mayi samprati vartate |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, as long as both you and I remain alive, all beings will continue to doubt which side truly holds victory. Foolish one, your very life now depends upon me.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory in war is not only a physical outcome but also a matter of public moral certainty and legitimacy; as long as rival claimants live, society’s judgment remains unsettled. The verse also highlights the ethical tension of power over a defeated foe—one’s life can come to depend on the victor’s restraint.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a kingly opponent and declares that the world will remain uncertain about the final victory while both of them are alive. He then asserts dominance by stating that the opponent’s survival now rests in Yudhiṣṭhira’s hands, implying the opponent is at his mercy.