Previous Verse
Next Verse

Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 46

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

प्रजानाथ! उन सबके भाग जानेपर कुरुराज दुर्योधनने शत्रुपक्षकी और अपनी दोनों ही सेनाओंपर आक्रमण किया ।।

tato duryodhanaḥ sarvān ājuhāvātha pāṇḍavān | yuddhāya bharataśreṣṭha devān iva purā baliḥ ||

Dijo Sañjaya: «Oh señor de los súbditos, cuando todos hubieron huido, el rey de los Kurus, Duryodhana, arremetió tanto contra el bando enemigo como contra el suyo propio. Luego Duryodhana desafió a todos los Pāṇḍavas a combatir, oh el mejor de los Bhāratas, tal como en tiempos antiguos el rey Bali convocó a los dioses a la guerra».

{'tataḥ''then, thereafter', 'duryodhanaḥ': 'Duryodhana (the Kuru prince, leader of the Kauravas)', 'sarvān': 'all (of them)', 'ājuhāva (ā-hū, perfect)': 'called, summoned, challenged', 'atha': 'then, and then', 'pāṇḍavān': 'the Pāṇḍavas (sons of Pāṇḍu)', 'yuddhāya': 'for battle, to fight (dative/purpose)', 'bharataśreṣṭha': 'O best of the Bharatas (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'devān': 'the gods', 'iva': 'like, as', 'purā': 'formerly, in ancient times', 'baliḥ': 'Bali (mythic king famed for power and confrontation with the gods)'}
{'tataḥ':

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Duryodhana
P
Pāṇḍavas
B
Bharata (dynastic epithet)
D
Devas
K
King Bali

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how pride and defiant resolve can intensify conflict: Duryodhana’s public summons to battle, likened to Bali’s challenge to the gods, underscores a warrior’s audacity while also hinting at the moral peril of hubris that drives war forward.

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana calls out the Pāṇḍavas to fight. The comparison to King Bali challenging the gods serves to magnify the dramatic scale of the moment and portray Duryodhana’s confrontational stance as the battle momentum builds.