Shloka 33
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
युधिछ्िर उवाच उत्तिषोत्तिष्ठ गान्धारे मां योधय सुयोधन । एक एकेन संगम्य संयुगे गदया बली
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha gāndhāre māṃ yodhaya suyodhana | eka ekena saṅgamya saṃyuge gadayā balī ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Rise, rise, O son of Gāndhārī—O Suyodhana! Come and fight with me. You are indeed strong; therefore, in this battle, meet a single hero face to face and prove your manhood with the mace. Engage with a focused mind.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma in its martial form: courage, readiness, and the ideal of direct, single combat without evasion. Yudhiṣṭhira frames the fight as a test of personal valor and disciplined focus rather than mere mass violence.
On the battlefield, Yudhiṣṭhira calls upon Duryodhana—addressing him as the son of Gāndhārī and as Suyodhana—to rise and engage in a one-on-one mace duel, urging him to demonstrate his strength and manhood through direct combat.