Shloka 183
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तेजसा नाशयिष्यामि स्थिरीभवत पाण्डवा: । 'पाण्डवो! स्थिर होकर खड़े रहो। आज मैं अस्त्र-शस्त्र एवं रथसे हीन होकर भी घोड़ों और रथोंपर चढ़कर आये हुए तुम सब लोगोंको उसी तरह अपने तेजसे नष्ट कर दूँगा
tejasā nāśayiṣyāmi sthirībhavata pāṇḍavāḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Stand firm, O Pāṇḍavas. Today, even though I am deprived of weapons and chariot, I shall still destroy you all by the sheer force of my splendor—just as, at the end of night, the Sun makes all the stars vanish from sight by his radiance.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of steadfastness (sthairya) under threat and the use of ‘tejas’—inner force, confidence, and commanding presence—as a decisive factor in conflict. It also cautions that power can be asserted through intimidation and psychological dominance, not only through external weapons.
In the Shalya Parva war setting, a speaker issues a challenge to the Pāṇḍavas, urging them to stand firm while proclaiming he will annihilate them through sheer ‘tejas,’ illustrated by the simile of the Sun eclipsing the stars at dawn.