Shloka 3
Śikhaṇḍin’s Transformation, Daśārṇa Verification, and Kubera’s Conditional Curse
Udyoga Parva 193
दुर्योधन: किलापृच्छदापगेयं महाव्रतम् । केन कालेन पाण्डूनां हन्या: सैन्यमिति प्रभो
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | duryodhanaḥ kilāpṛcchad āpageyaṃ mahāvratam | kena kālena pāṇḍūnāṃ hanyāḥ sainyam iti prabho ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “My spies report that Duryodhana questioned the great vow-keeper Bhīṣma, son of the Gaṅgā, saying: ‘O lord, in what span of time could the army of the Pāṇḍavas be destroyed?’”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how adharma manifests as a cold, instrumental view of war—measuring victory by the speed of destruction rather than by justice. It contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s concern and moral awareness with Duryodhana’s fixation on annihilating opponents.
On the eve of conflict, Yudhiṣṭhira reports intelligence from his spies: Duryodhana has approached Bhīṣma and asked how quickly Bhīṣma could wipe out the Pāṇḍava forces. This sets the tone for the strategic and ethical tensions leading into the war.