Shloka 35
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
संजय उवाच एतत् स नरशार्दूलो नामृष्यत तवात्मज: । सलिलान्तर्गतः श्वभ्रे महानाग इव श्वसन्
sañjaya uvāca | etat sa naraśārdūlo nāmṛṣyata tavātmajaḥ | salilāntargataḥ śvabhre mahānāga iva śvasan |
Sanjaya said: O King, your son Duryodhana, that tiger among men, could not endure these words. Hidden within the water in his pit, he drew long, heavy breaths like a great serpent in its lair.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked pride and resentment make a person inwardly suffer and lose clarity; the verse depicts how wounded ego, even when outwardly restrained, churns within and prepares further conflict—an ethical warning about krodha (anger) and māna (pride) in leadership.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Duryodhana, concealed in a watery pit, cannot bear what was said (contextually, Yudhishthira’s statement) and reacts by heavy, serpent-like breathing—signaling suppressed rage and agitation while he remains hidden.