Shloka 51
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
अद्य तेडहं रणे दर्प सर्व नाशयिता नृप । राज्याशां विपुलां राजन् पाण्डवेषु च दुष्कृतम्
adya teḍahaṃ raṇe darpa sarva nāśayitā nṛpa | rājyāśāṃ vipulāṃ rājan pāṇḍaveṣu ca duṣkṛtam ||
Sañjaya said: “Today, O king, on the battlefield I shall crush all your pride. And, O ruler, I shall bring to an end your vast craving for sovereignty, as well as the wrongdoing you have committed against the Pāṇḍavas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war not merely as physical combat but as moral consequence: arrogance (darpa) and unjust ambition (rājyāśā) culminate in downfall, and wrongdoing (duṣkṛta) against the righteous invites decisive retribution.
Within Sañjaya’s report to the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, a warrior’s vow is conveyed: on that very day he will shatter the opponent’s pride, end his overreaching desire for the kingdom, and terminate the injustices inflicted upon the Pāṇḍavas.