Shloka 70
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
न मे समर्था: सर्वे वै योद्धुं न््यायेन केचन । न युक्तमात्मना वक्तुमेवं गर्वोद्धतं वच: । अथवा सफल होतत् करिष्ये भवतां पुर:
na me samarthāḥ sarve vai yoddhuṃ nyāyena kecana | na yuktam ātmanā vaktum evaṃ garvoddhataṃ vacaḥ | athavā saphala etat kariṣye bhavatāṃ puraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Not all of you—indeed, not even any one among you—has the strength to fight me in a fair contest. It is not proper for me to speak about myself in such a boastful, pride-inflamed way; yet the words have been spoken. Or rather, what need is there of speaking at all? Before your very eyes I shall make this claim come true.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, speech is ethically regulated: self-praise and prideful boasting are considered improper, and true worth should be demonstrated through action rather than inflated words—especially when invoking 'nyāya' (fairness) as a standard.
A warrior’s challenge is being reported by Sañjaya: he claims that none of the opponents can fight him fairly, then immediately reflects that such boastful self-reference is unfitting, and concludes that he will prove his claim directly before them.